Washington: Brianna Ruiz has torn ACL, out for rest of season

Release from Washington:

Fears of a major injury to the left knee of Brianna Ruiz were confirmed as the redshirt sophomore guard suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. The sharpshooting guard was injured in Sunday’s game against Arizona attempting to pull down a rebound over a bigger post player.

The native of Sacramento, Ruiz had played in all 16 games this season for the Dawgs, making 15 starts, while averaging 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds. She was in her second season as a starter for Washington, spacing the opposing defense with her long-range shooting and providing an athletic perimeter presence for the Husky defense.

In just a season and a half, Ruiz has made 53 3-pointers for the Huskies. Her 34 as a freshman were tied for the sixth most ever by a Husky rookie, while also shooting 34.0 percent, which was eighth best for a Washington freshman.

Ruiz had continued to expand her game this season, particularly on the defensive end where she was third on the team in both steals (15) and blocked shots (12). She is also had more assists with 20 than turnovers with 18.

Ruiz was averaging 30.0 minutes per game, a void that is expected to be filled by reserve guards Alexus Atchley, Kelli Kingma and Mackenzie Wieburg.