Adia Barnes sent a few clear messages to the Wildcats this week.ย
Defend, lead, make layups and free throws.ย
The Wildcats responded in a big way on Wednesday night.
Cate Reese and Esmery Martinez both delivered double-doubles and the defense, well, it may have taken a while, but the Wildcats held their opponents to six points in the third quarter on the way to an 89-55 win over Texas Southern.
The 20th-ranked Wildcats improved to 8-1, while Texas Southern remains winless at 0-9. This was the first matchup for each team in the new Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series.ย
"I thought we played a much harder today," Barnes said. "I thought we made steps of becoming a better team and just doing the things that we need to work on. (We) still have a way to go. But I thought there were a lot of bright spots this game. (I'm) happy with our performance."
Reese led all Wildcats with 20 points and 12 rebounds. She also grabbed two steals. Martinez chipped in 16 points, 12 rebounds, four steals and two blocks. This is Reese's first double-double of the season.
Arizona Wildcats guard Paris Clark is defended by Texas Southern's Tania Hill (1) in the first half of Wednesday's game.
Reese was involved the last time two Wildcats had double-doubles. It was Nov. 20, 2019, and the Wildcats beat Prairie View A&M. The other player was Aari McDonald, who had 15 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds .
Two other Wildcats scored in double figures on Wednesday: freshman Maya Nnaji had 11 and Jade Loville had 10 points. Loville pushed passed the 1,300-point milestone on her first basket of the night, which gave the Wildcats a 7-2 lead.
After getting schooled against Kansas last week 77-50, Arizona needed a bounce-back win, players said.
"I knew right after we played it that it wasn't a good game and then you watch film and you're like. 'Oh my gosh, that was terrible,'" Reese said. "... Weย definitely slacked on defense. We had way too many mental lapses. Coming from our starting lineup, who's basically seniors and fifth years, that's unacceptable. I think coming out today and proving that we can bounce back, that we're going to get better and that we're going to be aggressive. I think it was a good statement for us."
That statement started early. The Wildcats shared the ball on offense and exploited their size advantage against a small but speedy opponent.
Arizona's first 10 points were all scored inside. Helena Pueyo then connected on a 3-pointer. In the first half, the Wildcats made 13 of 19 layups and 10 of their 15 free throws.
Yet, the Tigers hung around, hitting 50% from the field in the first half. Arizona led 51-40 at the half.ย
Reese scored 17 of her 20 points (8 of 14 from the field) in the first half. Her shots all came inside on put backs, "bunnies" and a jumper; she also made 4 of 5 free throws.
Arizona's three traditional post players โ Reese, Martinez and Nnajiย โ combined for 47 points, 27 rebounds and nine of the Wildcats 19 steals.ย
"They are getting out and trapping more aggressively. They are in the right position," Barnes said.
UA tightened up its defense in the third quarter, forcing a five-second violation on an inbounds play and a 10-second violation getting the ball across mid-court. The Tigers were held to six points in the period.
"It's finally starting to click," Reese said. "We have we have to be in rotation. We can't let someone dribble one time and penetrate. That was a big thing for us just guarding our man and staying on them and having good reads and switching go with the guards."
All 11 Wildcats played and saw plenty of action. The freshmen played for long stretches of the first half and the fourth quarter.ย
Next up for the Wildcats is the Sunday's showdown in Dallas against No. 18 Baylor (7-2). The game is part of the Pac-12 Coast-to-Coast Challenge.ย
Rim shots
- Before the game tipped off, both teams met at center court and posed for a photo to commemorate their first matchup in the Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series.ย
- Lemyah Hylton, who saw nearly 20 minutes of action, stepped in front of an opponent to stop a fast break in the first half.
- UA's biggest lead of the night was 37 points with 2:40 left in the game.ย ย
McKale Center was built at the University of Arizona in the early 1970s. There have been updates through the years.
