Arizona’s stay in the Pac-12 Tournament was a brief one.
Colorado beat the UA 45-43 on Thursday afternoon, storming the court after Shaina Pellington’s potential game-winning 3-pointer at the end was no good.
UA played the Buffs without Cate Reese, who has missed the last three games with a dislocated shoulder. With Reese out, the Wildcats posted one of their worst offensive performances of the year.
These stats explain Arizona’s early exit from Las Vegas:
25%: Arizona shot 25% (12 of 48) from the field, its worst mark since Feb. 23, 2020. In the first and third quarters combined, Arizona combined to go just 4 of 21 (19%) from the field.
4: The Wildcats’ four points in the third quarter was the fewest they’ve scored in any quarter this year. The team had as many turnovers as they did points.
14:13: Arizona made one field goal over a 14-minute stretch during the second and third quarters. UA missed 10 straight shots between the 6:05 mark in the second and 7:42 mark in the third before Lauren Ware got a layup to fall. The Cats proceed to miss their next six shots.
15: Despite Arizona’s shooting struggles, its defense kept things close. Colorado made just 15 baskets, which ties for the third-fewest allowed by UA all season. The Buffs also turned the ball over 21 times.
27: With Reese hurt, Ware has stepped up — combining for 27 points over her last two games, including a career-high 15 on Thursday. Nine of her points came via the free-throw line. Ware has scored 10 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time in her career.
Ware’s performance was especially impressive given that she dealt with foul trouble. She picked up her third foul late in the second quarter but remained in the game and played a team-high 35 minutes.
10-0: Trailing 38-31 in the fourth quarter, Arizona finally showed signs of life. The Wildcats went on a 10-0 run to take the lead with 5:59 to play. The Cats forced four turnovers in less than a minute to quickly grab momentum.
5:59: Immediately after the 10-0 run, UA went cold again from the floor, failing to knock down a shot over the final 5:59 of the game.
2: Arizona missed two shots to potentially tie or take the lead in the final 15 seconds. After a timeout called by Adia Barnes, the Wildcats ran a play for Pellington to drive to the hoop. Pellington passed to Koi Love after she was double-teamed, but Love missed what would have been the game-tying layup.
The Cats were able to get one more crack after forcing a Colorado turnover with 4 seconds left. The inbounds pass went to Pellington, whose potential game-winner wasn’t close.
2018: The last time Arizona didn’t win a game in the Pac-12 Tournament came in the 2017-18 season, when the team had a 6-24 regular season and lost to ASU in the first round.
