Multiple games bunched together, early morning travel and an extremely late evening (well into the early hours of Sunday morning) return to Tucson, plus not playing with your motor and heart in starting point guard Jada Williams, all caught up with the Wildcats on their third trip of the young season in Flagstaff Wednesday night as NAU beat Arizona soundly 92-75.
This was Arizona’s first loss of the season as they are now 5-1. NAU improves to 4-1.
It is the first time since 2017 that NAU has beaten Arizona.
The Wildcats were just plain beat up and down the court.
Arizona head coach Adia Barnes gets the Wildcats organized before they take the court for the second half of their exhibition game against West Texas A&M, Oct. 25, 2024.
The commercial flight issues – the Wildcats had to reduce the number of charters they take during the season – not having your point guard or playing five games in 11 days are no excuse for playing flat and with no energy. Arizona coach Adia Barnes is the first to tell you that.
“I just don't think we were ready,” Barnes said. “It's been a long week. It's been a lot of travel, no excuse at all. But came here, we actually started off the game pretty well, and then they just started to get hot, and we gave us 30 points in the second quarter, 31 points in the third quarter, and then just a lot of mistakes, a lot of foul trouble, a lack of toughness. They just really punched us and we never responded.”
In the first quarter, after spotting NAU an 8-4 lead, Arizona went on a big run, taking a 27-11 lead early in the second frame. During this time, NAU didn’t make a field goal for up to 10 minutes. Then, as the fouls started piling up for Arizona – eight in that quarter to none for NAU – the tables turned. Arizona did have some runs but could never quite stop the shooting barrage for the Lumberjacks.
The Lumberjacks took a 41-38 lead in the half and tacked on 31 more points in that third quarter. UA only scored 17 points.
After the fouls started piling on, the defense disappeared allowing the Lumberjacks to hit those long range shots – five in the second quarter. Leia Beattie made four of them in that frame and finished with five total.
The Wildcats also allowed 40 points in the paint.
Isis Beh and Breya Cunningham fouled out in the fourth quarter and Skylar Jones had four fouls.
One bright spot for Arizona was junior guard Paulina Paris, who finished with 20 points, 8 rebounds, four steals and three assists. She wore a face mask during the game and was aggressively driving to the basket and made three from long range.
“She was trying really hard,” Barnes said. “She played the one for us; primarily, she ran a team. I thought she did some really good things. I thought she gave effort and really tried and had to run us with Jada being gone.”
Paris wore a mask during the game as she and Williams collided during practice. Williams had a concussion and is progressing – Barnes is hopeful she will play Saturday. While Paris got hit in the nose.
Arizona guard Jada Williams (2) shoots the ball during practice at Richard Jefferson Gymnasium, July 23, 2024.
Sahnya Jah scored 16 points, Jones had 11 and Cunningham had 10.
In the midst of the game, Arizona announced that they added Jasmine “Jazzy” Gipson to the Class of 2025. Gipson is a small forward out of the No. 9-rated Duncanville High in Texas. She played for the Lady Jets AAU team, led by former Wildcat Jason Terry.
She originally committed to Florida Gulf Coast but when the head coach left to take over the helm for WNBA's Atlanta Dream, she re-opened her recruiting.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jazzy to our family,” Barnes said in a news release. “Jasmine and I both believe everything happens for a reason, and all the stars aligned when she chose us. She brings athleticism, toughness and a dynamic shooting ability. I love her passion and most importantly, who she is as a woman.”
She said it
“It was a loss I knew we were going to get in the warmups. I pulled them together before the game and I said, ‘With the way you warmed up, you are going to lose by 20.’ I said, ‘with the lack of intensity. I’m going to need you to step up here, do your job.’ And then we started off good and then after that it reverted. We have to go back the drawing board, show film, do drills. We have better reaction time that we just don't have right now.” – Barnes on the game
The other side
The Lumberjacks had six players in double figures. Nyah Moran led with 22 points, Beattie and Sophie Glancy had 17 apiece, Taylor Feldman had 16 and Olivia Moran and Saniy Neverson each had 10 points.
By the numbers
5: Arizona only made 5 of 16 attempted 3-pointers
8: Arizona was outrebounded by eight as NAU had 45 and UA had 37
23: NAU had 23 assists on 30 made field goals
