With No. 6 Arizona up just 44-42 over New Mexico halfway through the third quarter and far from playing their best basketball, the undefeated Wildcats found an extra gear.
The next seven possessions:
Cate Reese 3-pointer
Sam Thomas block
Helena Pueyo steal followed by a Thomas layup
Bendu Yeaney steal
Pueyo 3
UNM missed 3
Yeaney 2-pointer
Just like that, Arizona was up 10 points and rolling in front of a season-high 8,884 fans at McKale Center on Sunday afternoon. It was that burst, over a span of about four minutes, which helped the Wildcats win their ninth straight game to start the season, beating New Mexico 77-60.
βFun day, wasnβt beautiful basketball,β UA coach Adia Barnes said. βWeβve had to gut out and just find different ways to win.β
Arizona's Helena Pueyo made three 3s during the win over New Mexico. The Wildcats are 9-0 for the second time in school history.
Freshman Madison Conner came off the bench and scored a career-high 15 points on five 3-pointers. The freshman had logged a combined 27 minutes on the court her last three games, but Arizona rode the hot hand as Conner played a season-high 20 minutes to lead the team in scoring.
βThatβs my role to shoot the ball, then get back on defense and do whatever the team needs,β Conner said.
Missing starting forward Lauren Ware with a knee injury suffered Thursday night, Arizona looked out of sorts from the get go. New Mexico deployed a zone defense the entire game, practically daring Arizona to shoot 3s, and the Wildcats happily obliged.
The Lobosβ quick pace kept the game moving as the team combined to take 33 shot attempts in the first quarter alone. The game was tied 16-16 after 10 minutes of play.
βThey were hurting us in the beginning,β Barnes said.
The zone strategy appeared to be working for New Mexico in the first half. Arizona attempted 21 3s in the first two quarters, making six (28%); it attempted a season-high 36 of them for the game. The Lobos trailed just 35-32 at halftime.
UA forward Cate Reese goes for a lay-up during Sunday's win. The Wildcats face NAU on Friday and then No. 11 Texas in Las Vegas on Sunday.
βI donβt typically have a team that shoots 36 3s,β Barnes said.
The difference in the second half was that the Wildcats were able to convert their open shot opportunities, hitting 7 of 15 from deep.
βWe tried to pull them out of the zone, they didnβt pull out of the zone, and we were able to start knocking down shots,β Conner said. βWe have the personnel to do that.β
After their third quarter spurt to go up 57-45 to begin the fourth, the Wildcats locked down New Mexico on the other end. The Lobos shot 4 of 14 from the field, while Arizona was able to connect on five more 3-pointers to put the game out of reach.
Arizona stars Cate Reese and Sam Thomas had 14 points and 13 points, respectively, in the win. However, it was the bench help of three triples from Pueyo, two from Taylor Chavez along with six rebounds from Koi Love that helped Arizona get the victory.
Next up, Arizona heads north to face Northern Arizona (4-4) on Friday at 4 p.m.
Rim shots
Barnes provided an injury update on Ware, saying she will miss the NAU game recovering from her knee injury, but that she could be active for the teamβs neutral site game in Las Vegas against No. 11-ranked Texas next Sunday. Barnes added that she wonβt play Ware until sheβs 100% recovered.
Arizona is 9-0 for the second time in three seasons (2019-20). UA started 13-0 that year.
