Arizona women's basketball at Washington State: Scouting report, Jones is key, broadcast mix up

Arizona (10-8, 2-4) at Washington State (13-5, 2-3) | Beasley Coliseum; Pullman, Washington | 1 p.m. Sunday | Pac-12 Washington | 1290-AM

She said it

Arizona coach Adia Barnes on Washington State: “They're a good a really good team. I think they're better than people think they are right now, kind of like Oregon State. They have obviously (Charlisse) Leger-Walker, who is just a phenomenal scorer. She has been a little bit more of a distributor this year but she's still able to score the ball at a high level. They have just their core is back the same team then they've added this Italian shooter (Eleonora Villa) so they're good. They're hard to guard. I think the post inside they can play that gives us problems, shooting on the outside, good ball movement, but very good offensive team.”

On the sidelines

Figuring it out: The Wildcats are in a tough spot.

On one hand, their last five league matchups have been one-possession games. On the other hand, they’ve managed to win only one (in overtime against Utah, 71-70).

Seemingly, it’s come down to a missed shot or a missed defensive assignment. Yet, there’s a lot more that goes into winning and losing games.

On Friday night against Washington, there were a few too many second-chance points for the Huskies (11), the Wildcats didn't get a good look at the end of a few quarters and they were down nine after one quarter.

Take away a little of this or make one less mental mistake early on, and the outcome could've been different.

Arizona is a young team, and Barnes said there is a lot more for them to learn.

It comes down to “just figuring out a way to focus at the times we need to — to get what we were trying to look for," she said.

That means not settling for jumpers in the first half when it should have been driving and not letting a player like UW’s Elle Ladine get comfortable (she scored 18 of her 22 points in the first half).

“We still have to figure out a way to get the job done, and it's the possessions early in the game,” Barnes said. “It’s a missed box out that leads to a 3. Those are daggers, and they hurt you every time.

Making moves: UA freshman Skylar Jones is starting to see the court in key moments.

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She was on the court for the final four minutes of the game in Friday night’s loss. She also subbed in for the very last play against Oregon last week.

In both instances, she made a play. Against UW, she grabbed a steal and scored with just under two minutes left to give UA a 58-57 lead. And in those last ticks in the Oregon game, Jones used her length to get the ball off the Ducks inbounds pass and tip it to Kailyn Gilbert for a last attempt.

These aren’t the first key tips or steals from Jones. She had a steal and a basket against Utah in the fourth quarter that brought the Wildcats within two points. Against Colorado, she had two steals — both of them kept the Wildcats in the thick of it.

Injury update: Erin Tack and Sali Kourouma had their season-ending surgeries a little more than a week ago. Both attended Barnes’ radio show on Tuesday — Tack with a big brace on her leg and Kourouma with a brace on her shoulder.

Tack said that she was injured in a non-contact during skill development. The posts were sprinting full court, she was dribbling and did a jump stop, and she felt her right knee buckle. At the time, it hurt, but not as much as when she tore the same ACL in the same knee in high school.

The MRI was inconclusive, so it took a while for it to be diagnosed. Barnes said this is typical on an already repaired knee because there is scar tissue and it’s hard to see what’s what. Tack said she will be back on the court next season. This is in addition to throwing javelin for the UA track team.

For Kourouma, it was a tear on the left labrum. Her shoulder kept coming out of place even while she slept and brushed her teeth. Sometimes, it took up to five minutes to slip in back into place and every time in popped out, it loosened up even more. And it was painful.

Kourouma thinks she will start rehab in around six weeks and will be out for six months or so. Tack’s recovery will take the usual six to nine months.

Where is the game?: Friday night’s game was scheduled for Pac-12 Arizona but ended up on Pac-12 Washington, where the ASU game was supposed to be shown. Even the Pac-12 spokespeople were surprised that the two games had gotten switched. With rolling layoffs occurring during this final year of the league as we know it, expect the unexpected the rest of the way.

By the numbers

36: WSU’s Bella Mureketete needs 36 more rebounds to hold the Cougars' all-time rebounding mark. The fifth-year senior has 864 rebounds.

2,000: Beyonce Bea, WSU's grad transfer from Idaho, crossed the 2,000-point career milestone this season. She is at 2,038 and counting.

55: Gilbert has 101 rebounds this season, which is 55 more than in her rookie year.

6: Arizona and Washington had only six personal fouls called on each team in Friday night’s game.