SEATTLE — Shaina Pellington scored 10 points, Sam Thomas hit a game-clinching 3-pointer with a minute to go and No. 8 Arizona beat Washington 51-42 on Friday night.
The Wildcats (19-4, 9-4 Pac-12) held the Huskies (5-14, 0-11) scoreless for more than 10 minutes midway through the game to pull away in a contest marked by offensive difficulties and turnovers. It was Washington's 11th straight loss, all in conference play.
“I think from here on out we just want to focus on getting the wins and doing whatever it takes to get the wins,” Thomas said. “It’s not always going to be pretty but I’m very glad we got this one. You don’t want to lose a team that’s never won a (conference) game before.”
Arizona struggled mightily on offense, setting a season low in scoring on 19-for-51 shooting. The previous low came in a 55-53 win over Oregon State in January. Despite their offensive struggles, the Wildcats earned an uncomfortable lead that held up over the Huskies with stifling defense late in the first half.
Arizona held Washington scoreless for the last 9:27 before halftime, with the Huskies going 0 for 9 and turning the ball over seven times during the span. The Wildcats had 10 steals in the game, paced by Helena Pueyo’s four, and forced 22 turnovers. Gisela Sanchez added eight points for Arizona.
Washington trailed 16-7 at halftime, setting a new team record for fewest points in a half. The previous low of eight came against Arizona State in 2009.
“My philosophy is if you're not scoring, don't let the other team score,” said Arizona coach Adia Barnes, who spent 14 years in Seattle as a member of the WNBA Storm and a UW assistant.
UW’s Nancy Mulkey scored 52 seconds into the second half to end the scoreless drought and cut the lead to 16-9, but Arizona answered with a 8-0 run and held the Huskies scoreless for another 3:13 on the way to a 24-9 lead.
Arizona couldn't pull away, however. Barnes said the Huskies “punched us in the face” late. Mulkey hit a 3 and scored five straight points during an 8-0 run to cut it to 41-37 with 1:24 left.
“They got confident, but that's our fault because we allowed them to do it,” Barnes said.
Thomas shut it down with her 3 from the top of the key with 1:03 left. Mulkey scored 13 for UW and Missy Peterson added seven.
“They shot like we shot, and I think that’s two great defensive teams really battling today,” UW coach Tina Langley said. “The second quarter, you could feel our frustration offensively the most, I thought. … But I’m proud of the way we’re defending.”
No. 8 Arizona 51, Washington 42
ARIZONA (19-4)
Reese 2-6 2-4 6, Thomas 2-4 1-2 6, Ware 2-11 0-0 4, Pellington 3-9 4-6 10, Yeaney 2-3 0-0 4, Love 0-1 2-2 2, Chavez 1-1 0-0 3, Conner 1-3 0-0 2, Pueyo 2-5 2-2 6, Sanchez 4-8 0-0 8, Totals 19-51 11-16 51
WASHINGTON (5-14)
Schwartz 1-8 2-2 5, Van Dyke 2-8 1-2 6, Mulkey 5-8 1-4 13, Oliver 0-4 0-0 0, Peterson 3-6 0-0 7, Watkins 0-0 1-2 1, Rees 0-1 0-0 0, Noble 1-3 2-2 4, Whitfield 3-4 0-0 6, Totals 15-42 7-12 42
Arizona 8 8 15 20 — 51
Washington 5 2 12 23 — 42
3-Point Goals-Arizona 2-13 (Reese 0-2, Thomas 1-3, Ware 0-1, Pellington 0-1, Chavez 1-1, Pueyo 0-2, Sanchez 0-3), Washington 5-12 (Schwartz 1-3, Van Dyke 1-1, Mulkey 2-2, Oliver 0-1, Peterson 1-3, Noble 0-1, Whitfield 0-1). Assists-Arizona 10 (Yeaney 3), Washington 10 (Noble 3). Fouled Out-None. Rebounds-Arizona 31 (Ware 8), Washington 32 (Oliver 8). Total Fouls-Arizona 12, Washington 16. Technical Fouls-None. A-1,499.
