You could see it on their faces as they took the floor before Friday night’s game against USC. The Arizona Wildcats were happy to be back at McKale Center playing in front of their own fans.
Yet it was the spark of one player — Tee Tee Starks — on one play in the third quarter that lit up the home crowd during Arizona’s 71-68 victory over Trojans.
UA improved to 14-5 overall and 4-4 in the Pac-12 while USC dropped to 11-7, 1-6. The Wildcats will host UCLA at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Starks, who made her first start of the season in place of the injured Lucia Alonso, hit her first 3-pointer with 7:35 left in the first quarter. But it was her shot fake and deep corner 3 with 5:40 left in the third that ignited the friendly fans. It was Starks' fourth make in as many attempts.
She smiled, coach Adia Barnes smiled, and the crowd went wild.
“Tee Tee was awesome — a difference maker,” Barnes said. “She was phenomenal tonight, getting tips, steals, cutting and making us move. Tonight she was a monster all over.”
Starks’ 3 extended Arizona’s lead to 45-40, and the Wildcats didn’t look back. Starks’ teammates followed her lead and turned it up another notch the rest of the way.
Starks finished with a career-high 13 points, four assists and four rebounds.
“Tee Tee never has played 35 minutes, so it was huge to go from zero to 100,” Barnes said. “It was a really, really big game for us.”
Arizona Wildcats guard Aari McDonald, left, continued her prolific scoring efforts with a team-high 20 points against USC.
Freshman standout Cate Reese, who scored only four points in the first half, erupted after halftime to finish with 17. She muscled her way inside and took over. At one point in the fourth quarter, Bryce Nixon drove inside and dished to Reese for an uncontested basket. Reese pulled down six rebounds, five of them on the defensive end.
Two others finished in double figures for the Wildcats: Prolific scorer Aari McDonald led the way with 20 points and Dominique McBryde added 12 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. It was McBryde's first double-double at UA.
“They find a way to make plays. I though Sam (Thomas) did that, Tee Tee did that,” Barnes said. “Growth and leadership are evolving. They want it, they want to win. We need to win games we're supposed to, steal a couple and we control our own destiny.”
UA came out with the intensity it has become known for right from the tip. McDonald came away with a steal within the first 35 seconds of the game. Again on the defensive end, the Wildcats forced an errant pass and McDonald chased the ball down as she fell to the court.
UA had the lead until under two minutes left in the first quarter, when USC’s Mariya Moore scored her second basket of the quarter to tie it at 16 apiece at the buzzer.
USC took the lead early in the second quarter when Ja’Tavia Tapley connected on a jumper. The Trojans opened on a 10-2 run and forced Barnes to call a timeout. USC's lead stretched to 30-20 before the Wildcats made a run of their own while getting stops on three straight possessions.
The Wildcats cut the deficit to 33-28 at the half.
