Wildcats 'ran out of gas' in Stanford loss; Helena Pueyo, Madi Conner stand out

Arizona had an odd start to its week.

Monday morning, the Wildcats learned that they had moved up three spots to No. 15 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. A little more than an hour later, they played a matinee against the best team in the Pac-12 — No. 2 Stanford.

The last matchup of the holiday weekend played true to form. Stanford did to Arizona what it does to most teams: take them out of their game by playing percentages and only guarding who they need to guard.

The Wildcats’ third Pac-12 game since Thursday ended in a 73-57 Stanford win. Arizona started on a 6-0 run; things went south from there.

“I think we really ran out of gas,” UA coach Adia Barnes said. “I think we came out (from the) jump, we were aggressive, intentional, and then I think we got tired and stopped doing what we normally do.”

The Cardinal packed the paint and used their length to take away open shots. After playing team ball in back-to-back games, UA could only muster six assists on 24 made shots.

Barnes said that the difference in the game was “their offensive rebounds and our fouls.”

Stanford pulled down 23 offensive rebounds, turning them into 20 second chance points.

Another glaring statistic is the free-throw disparity. Stanford made 20 of 34 attempts, while Arizona was 7 of 9. The Wildcats only attempted one free throw in the first half.

The Wildcats managed to turn 17 Stanford turnovers into 19 points. They held the Cardinal to 39% shooting from the field — well under their typical 50%, which is fifth in the nation.

Barnes said she’ll keep things simple this week, as Arizona (12-2, 2-1 Pac-12) prepares to host Oregon State and Oregon.

“It’s not all about the other team,” Barnes said. “It’s about boxing out on free throws, boxing out (in general), playing without fouling, playing smart. I think those are things that are controllable.”

Pueyo playing well

Senior Helena Pueyo brought the intensity yet again on Monday.

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Against Stanford, she scored 10 points, pulled down seven rebounds, dished one assist, blocked two shots and picked two steals. Pueyo was also responsible for a number of deflections.

In Pac-12 games, she is averaging eight points, four rebounds, 3.6 steals, 2.3 assists and 1 block per game.

“She’s awesome,” Barnes said. “She’s one of the best players in the country. She’s so underrated. She played hard (Monday). They were exhausted. She was alive. She was active. She was fighting. I was really proud of the way she played. The last few games she’s had amazing steals, tips on inbounds plays — just things that saved a lot of possessions.

“She’s playing great. She’s playing confident. She’s doing a little bit of everything. She’s been 1-2-3-4 (positions) for us. She’s been amazing.”

Pueyo has 37 steals to date, putting her on track to smash her UA-career high of 50 last season.

Recovery time

It’s not easy playing so many games packed into just a few days. That’s why Barnes added a new team activity to the itinerary Sunday night: cryotherapy.

The team visited No Limits Cryotherapy in Menlo Park. One by one, the Wildcats — along with Barnes and assistant coach Salvo Coppa — took turns walking into individual full body chambers that were freezing cold. Temps got so low that cold steam was rising to their chins. Coppa, who is from Italy, is very cold-averse. He seemed to have the hardest time with it.

“It’s fun until you actually go into the chamber because it’s freezing,” Barnes said. “It was a good experience. It does help you recover. We needed that because they were deep. I mean, three games in five games after Christmas is not easy. This week is another short week. Surviving these first two weeks in the Pac-12 will tell me a lot about my team.”

Rim shots

For nearly three minutes in Monday’s first half, two freshmen battled it out in what was a glimpse into the future. Stanford’s 6-foot-7-inch center, Lauren Betts, went up against UA’s 6-4 Maya Nnaji. Betts was the nation’s top recruit in the 2022 recruiting class, while Nnaji was No. 9. Both were McDonald’s All-Americans. Betts played three minutes, finishing with no points and three rebounds; she attempted one shot. Nnaji finished with four points, four rebounds and an assist in 17 minutes.

Arizona’s Madi Conner finished with an efficient 10 points, hitting 3 of 4 shot attempts and all three of her free throws. Conner also pulled down two rebounds and picked a steal in 18 minutes. She is shooting 39% from the field this season; she has eight steals, half her total steal last season.