It didn’t take a numbers geek to figure this one out: With both the Washington and Arizona women’s basketball squads coming in with one win in Pac-12 play, one team would be walking off the floor having moved out of last place.
Don’t let the win-loss record fool you — both teams have been competitive in what is arguably the top league in the nation, a league with five teams in the Top 25 and two in the Top 10.
Sunday, the Wildcats had the most fight in them at the end. They turned up the defense another notch and held on to defeat Washington 72-70 at McKale Center.
“We battled all night,” said UA coach Adia Barnes. “There were a lot of emotions and everyone wanted to play well and we both needed this win. You can’t practice this type of pressure in practice. They were really denying Lucia (Alonso) and trying to make us put the ball in someone else’s hands, which we didn’t want to do.
“We were both starving for a win. We were not going to lose tonight. I looked in their (my players) eyes and they were hungry. I like seeing that. Everyone was stepping up and they were not always playing in their normal positions. Everyone chipped in and found a way to get it done.”
The Huskies took the lead early, hitting threes and going up 27-13 after one quarter and by 10 at the half.
Barnes said her team settled down after halftime, when the game had a little different look from the Wildcats, as they played more full-court defense from the get-go and throughout much of the game. Hands were up trying to disrupt passes and get steals and bodies were flying, going after rebounds and 50-50 balls.
“It lifted our energy getting steals and getting them to lose their composure,” said Marlee Kyles, who scored 13 points. “It was a very emotional game and it came down to who wanted it more.”
Alonso led all scorers with 19 points, was 7 for 10 from the field and 5 of 6 beyond the arc.
“She was on fire,” said Barnes. “I didn’t realize she was 7 of 10 from the field. I think she kept her composure under pressure.”
Alonso hit two threes, as the Wildcats came out of halftime with an offensive blast, outscoring the Huskies 31-16 in the third quarter to go up by five. That marked the most points UA has scored in a quarter since Dec. 7, 2016.
“(At the half) we said we have to play hard and play with heart; do whatever it takes to win,” said Alonso, who also collected two of the Wildcats seven steals.
In the third quarter the Wildcats shot 57 percent from the field and held UW to 41 percent.
The quarter started with three players hitting from beyond the arc: Alonso, Marlee Kyles, and Sam Thomas. Kyles led the scoring barrage with 10 points. Thomas scored six in the quarter, and finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and two steals. This was her third double-double of the season.
JaLea Bennett added 14 points.
The UA would lead by as many as 16 in the fourth quarter before UW made a run to close the gap.
Barnes picks up her first win over UW, her former team, as the Wildcats improved to 6-17, 2-10.
Rim shots
The UA women’s basketball program received a $5,000 matching gift from alum Joy Hollingsworth.
“Joy is a great friend; a great person,” said Barnes. “We are very, very grateful for her contribution to the program.”
Barnes said she will use the money for graphics in the locker room, but still has a long list of things she’d like for the program. This includes money for charter flights, which she estimates cost around $48,000. She noted that typically their flights get delayed coming home after away games.
Last weekend the team did not get home from the Bay Area until midnight. The next day started at 6 a.m. for many of her players and ran through 9 p.m. Last season, nearly every flight home put the Wildcats back in Tucson in the wee hours of Monday morning.
