Skylar Jones didnโt waste any time getting after it on both ends of the court, leading Arizona womenโs basketball team to a 62-39 victory over Tarleton State Thursday night at McKale Center in front of 6,751 fans.
Arizona is 2-0 to start off the season, while Tarleton State drops to 0-2.
Sixteen seconds after the tip, Jones got the ball and went left, then right as she slashed her way through the paint to score and draw a foul.
For the sophomore guard it wasnโt just that one basket, she made 4 of 6 from the field and went 5 of 5 from the line in the first half totaling 14 points.
Jones was back in the starting lineup after coming off the bench in the home opener against UT Arlington on Monday and this may have been all the motivation she needed to attack and show where she belongs. Arizona coach Adia Barnes, who always says that the bench is the best motivator, was unfazed by it all.
โI think (she) was just determined, aggressive and was on a mission,โ Barnesย said. โI think when she gets that zoned in, and she was like that when she came off the bench (against UT Arlington), she was mad she was coming off the bench. She came in like, โAh, Iโll show her,โ which is fine. I think she had a really good game.โ
Arizona guard Skylar Jones drives to the basket under Tarleton State forward Elise Turrubiates (24) at McKale Center on Nov. 7, 2024.
Jones was scoring at all three levels โ inside, outside and mid-range. She even took what looked to be a busted offensive set with time ticking down on the shot clock and turned it into a positive. Jones got the ball near the Block โAโ at the center of the court and slashed her way towards the basket to score with 1:20 left in the first half.
The Wildcats led at the half 33-17.
On the defensive end, she narrowed those passing lanes and picked up two steals in the first 20 minutes of the game.
The Wildcats defense overall took a jump in the last few days. They seemed to play together more, jump to help, then get back to their assigned player fast to cover them. The Wildcats held the Texans to 32% shooting and 19% from beyond the arc. Meanwhile, Arizona shot 40% from the field and 25% from the 3.
Jones finished with 16 points in 15 minutes of action. She left the game at the end of the third quarter with cramping, Barnes said. Jones was fine after trainer Bart Jameson gave her some hydration and with the depth the Wildcats have, she wasnโt needed for the rest of the night.
Breya Cunningham, who was named player of the game, had another steady night, just missing her second double-double of the season leading all Wildcats with 15 points, 8 rebounds. She also had three blocks and a steal.
Arizona forward Breya Cunningham slides past Tarleton State guard Karyn Sanford on her way to the hoop Nov. 7, 2024.
She said it
โThe habit of boxing out, we're not good at. I say transition defense, boxing out, we have to work on and some different pick-and-roll situationsย โ that's an area that we have to improve on. Letting them have 24 points in the paint because of layups, that's not good. Overall, I thought we did some good things. The stat I'm not happy with is 12 assists, 14 turnovers. You never want more turnovers than assists. Our goal was 20 assist, 10 turnovers. โฆ Right now, we are working on the fundamentals for our guards. I don't like the jumping in the air passing. Those are turnovers and then being under control to not charge. That's body control, going to your non-dominant hand and those things. We're working on that stuff daily. I hope you see improvements in the next couple of weeks.โย โ Barnes
Best moment of the game
Forward Montaya Dew, who sat out last season with a torn ACL, scored her first points as a Wildcat. With 7:37 left in the game, Dew coolly stepped up and knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give UA a 56-33 lead. Dew is the highest ranked player in Arizona history (No. 8) and is part of the now-sophomore class with Jones, Cunningham and Jada Williams. She was an early enrollee in January 2023 (gray shirt) and because of her injury hadnโt played in a basketball game in two years.
Stuffing the stat sheet
Williams: 9 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and a technical foul at the end of the first quarter.
Paulina Paris: 6 rebounds, 5 points.
Lauryn Swann: 5 points, 2 steals.
Mailien Rolf: 4 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals.
The other side
Senior guards Arieona Rosborough and Karyn Sanford combined to score 30 of the Texans 39 points. Rosborough scored 21 points (10 of 15 from the field), nine rebounds, one steal, one block and seven turnovers. Sanford chipped in nine points, one block and two assists.
Injury Watch
Forward Brooklyn Rhodes is in concussion protocol after getting hit in practice before the season opener on Monday.
By the numbers
5: Arizona decreased their turnovers game over game by five. The Wildcats had 19 in the season opener and 14 Thursday night.
2: The Texans only had two second-chance points. The Wildcats had 15.
10: Ten of Arizonaโs 38 rebounds came off the offensive glass.
