Arizona Wildcats (7-3) vs. GCU Lopes (5-2) | McKale Center | 6 p.m. Thursday | ESPN+ | 1400-AM
Arizona forward Montaya Dew (12) stops a close range shot from UNLV guard Amarachi Kimpson on Nov. 12, 2024.
She said it
Arizona coach Adia Barnes on GCU: “They're a really good team and they're playing at a high level. They're going to press us; they're going to be in our shorts, and we're turning the ball over, so we have to take care of the ball or else it’s going to be a long, long night. But we're at home, which is positive. We're just coming off a pretty good game and recouping after the losses, so I think we're ready. But we know they're really good and they can beat us, and we have to play a good game to beat them. We know that taking care of the ball, rebounding and transition defense is going to be really important.”
On the sidelines
More movement: In the 78-43 win over Seattle on Monday, the Wildcats shared the ball more and looked for the high-percentage shot. Still, they have a ways to go to have more movement without the ball on the offense end. We did see it at times with a drive and a short pass, but for the most part, this is a work in progress.
“I think we just tend to get really stagnant against the zone,” Barnes said. “(It’s) just understanding where to pass the ball, not playing so high, not just having the ball pass around the perimeter. But I thought we moved it better than we have in the past, and we turned it over less than we had been. I look and it’s like ‘Oh we did better,’ but we still had 19 (turnovers) but we are even — we’ve had a negative assist-to-turnover ratio for a while. This is a work in progress.”
Barnes went on to say that you could see individuals like Skylar Jones’ balance much better on Monday night.
“Sky was jump stopping on under control,” Barnes said. “She had one offensive foul, but I'll take that was a jump stop instead of running in. I thought she did a great job of that.”
Arizona guard Skylar Jones (4) tries to twist her way around Grambling State forward Ja’Miyah Bryant (20) on a shot attempt in the first quarter of their game in Tucson, Nov. 23, 2024.
Calm presence: As Montaya Dew is getting back into the swing of things after not playing for nearly two years — coming to Arizona early and then tearing her ACL — Barnes and her teammates can count on her to bring steadiness and calmness on the court.
“A lot of times against, like, a zone press or against, like, a 1-3-1, everybody's moving the ball, like a hot potato we're turning it over,” Barnes said. “(Dew) is a calm presence that's not rushed and plays at the same pace, which I like. Her and Paulina (Paris) do that well together. (Dew) knows where to pass the ball. The ball reversed more with her, she's just smart.”
Dew does many of the little — and not-so-little — things on the court. The forward has the best assist-to-turnover ratio on the team (2.00). Paris, a guard, is the only other positive Wildcat at 1.20.
Against Seattle, the stat that measures a player’s impact on the game (plus/minus), she had a plus-35 and Paris, who scored a game-high 22 points and was the player of the game, had a plus-34.
On Monday night, Dew’s stat line looked like this: 11 rebounds, four assists, five steals, one block and four points — as a starter. She stepped into the starting lineup as Isis Beh was out with a concussion.
“(Dew) doesn't need 15 shots and I want her to be more aggressive offensively but she plays within herself,” Barnes said. “You always know I love players like Helena (Pueyo), Sam Thomas. They're the players that are the stat stuffers. And they don't need 15 shots. They still really affect the game. And that's what she did.”
Pro Cats: Recently, former Wildcat Shaina Pellington, playing basketball for APR in Africa in the Women’s Basketball League Africa Qualifiers in Tanzania, led her team with 24 points, four rebounds, and three assists to win the bronze medal.
Top play: The Wildcats posted their top five plays of the win over Seattle. No. 1 was Jada Williams single-handedly forcing a 10-second violation with tenacious defense. She wouldn’t let her opponent get anywhere near the half-court line.
Arizona Wildcats guard Jada Williams (2) eyes Seattle Redhawks guard Sheridan Liggett (15) as she tries to inbound the ball in the first half during a game at McKale Center in Tucson on Dec. 2, 2024.
Holidays: Thursday is the Wildcats’ annual teddy bear toss for the holidays. Bring a new stuffed teddy bear to the game and typically at halftime, the fans will be told to throw them onto the court. All stuffed animals collected go to a local charity.
First meeting: It’s hard to believe that this is the first meeting between Arizona and GCU. Barnes has been working on this matchup for years and finally former Athletic Director Dave Heeke was able to make it happen.
It only makes sense that these two Arizona programs face each other.
The Lopes' first loss this season came against Middle Tennessee State, where Courtney Blakely rebounded back to after spending last season with the Wildcats. She left to finish her schooling on time and to be closer to home. Blakely scored 11 points, picked two steals, had one assist and six turnovers.
GCU’s other loss was against then-No. 23 Oregon. The Ducks jumped out to an 18-point lead at the half and held the Lopes to only 35% shooting on the evening.
In the win over Arizona State, the Lopes spotted the Sun Devils a 10-point lead early but came back for a 70-59 victory.
By the numbers
2: The Wildcats are second in steals in the Big 12, averaging 11.4 per game.
1: The Lopes are first in the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.17).
9: GCU senior Alyssa Durazo-Frescas is ninth in the nation in 3-pointers per game — averaging 3.29. She had a season-high six against Arizona State. She is hitting 50% of her attempts, which is good enough to put her 14th in the nation.
2: GCU has two players — besides one freshman — on the roster who didn’t transfer in from another program. Fifth-year Tairra Brown, who was an All-WAC first-teamer and defensive player last season and redshirt sophomore Asha Sra, who is a reserve guard. Brown is a starter and is averaging 11.3 points per game.
