Arizona women thinking upset

Adam F. Jarrold Arizona Daily Wildcat UA junior forward Adia Barnes and the rest of the Wildcats will be fighting to break Stanford's 43-game winning streak tonight at 7 p.m. at McKale Center.

The Arizona women's basketball team probably can't think of a better place than McKale Center and a better time than tonight to break Stanford's 43-game conference winning streak.

"We are going in thinking that both games are winnable," said UA head coach Joan Bonvicini about the 7 p.m. contest and Saturday's game with California. "I want to end the regular season on a positive note and that means being successful against Stanford."

Coaches have been trying to break the streak since it started in February of 1995. Four conference schools gave up on their head coach during the streak.

"The only way to get any recognition is to beat Stanford because of what they have done nationally," said Oregon head coach Jody Runge, whose Ducks lost, 69-66 to the Cardinal last month.

Last season's Cardinal team lost in the Final Four. The team has gone to the NCAA Tournament for 10 consecutive years, and no Arizona team under Bonvicini has ever beaten them. So why does this year's team stand a chance?

"So much of our success is attitude, you have to expect to win. And you have to prepare like you are going to win," Bonvicini said. "This team is playing with a great deal of confidence."

They have that confidence because, for the first time ever, Arizona has won 20 games in the regular season. The Wildcats are hoping for an NCAA berth and a win would put them in the mix.

The team has everything to gain. No one expects an upset but it's at McKale, where Arizona is 10-2 this season and is averaging 79 points per game. Stanford , which clinched the automatic Pacific 10 Conference berth into the tournament with the regular season conference title, might be overlooking the Wildcats as well.

"We are looking forward to going to the Tournament, that is all the matters," said Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer on Tuesday.

"We are pretty excited to go (to Arizona) because we are hoping for a pretty good game to prepare us for the Tournament," Naismith player of the year candidate Kate Starbird said.

Bonvicini made her players off limits to the media all week so they could prepare mentally. Bonvicini, who took Long Beach State to the Tournament 10 years in a row before coming to Arizona, said focus has been a key ingredient in the Wildcats' season.

"This team has been focused all season on one game at a time to get to this point. But, now that we are here it's time to let it all go," she said. "We want to play our best and if we do then there is no way we can disappointed."

In the first meeting, a 91-68 loss on Jan. 5, the Wildcats kept it close for a half, but things went sour as the game progressed.

"Last time they capitalized on our mistakes," Bonvicini said. "Particularly against Stanford, you have to make the extra pass. We learned that and I know this team is going to play better."

Arizona made 3 of 16 three-point shot attempts and never got on track in the second half. At that time, Arizona's freshmen backcourt tandem of Lisa Griffith and Felecity Willis had played in only a handful of games.

Since then, Stanford has had several injuries, but their record doesn't show it. That is primarily because the Cardinal bench is full of high-school All-Americans that would start at nearly every other school in the country.

VanDerveer even talked Kristin Folkl, the nation's best volleyball player and the proud owner of a 39-inch vertical leap, onto the team.

Folkl, who played for the basketball team last season, joined three weeks ago and has averaged 7.7 rebounds per game in 16 minutes of action.

UA volleyball coach Dave Rubio described the 6 foot, 2 inch Folkl as a tremendous physical presence.

"As a basketball player, she presents a size problem. Not just height, but sheer body mass, and she is by no means fat at all."

Stanford's starting forward junior Naomi Mulitauaopele made the trip and could see her first action since tearing the meniscus muscles in her right knee.

"That is a mark of a great team," Bonvicini said. "To still have all the success with all the injuries that they have suffered from."

Arizona is healthy and looking to run. At home this season, the Wildcats have especially looked to the press anytime they have gotten in trouble. Against a team with the quality of players Stanford has, the Wildcats said they know they can't sit back and react.

"Kate Starbird was like a one person wrecking crew last time," said Bonvicini of the Cardinal senior who poured in 31 points in the first game. "We have to get after her and play our game. We just have to take care of business."

UA's Adia Barnes, who's averaging over 19 points and nearly nine rebounds per game, will have to show why she is one of the conference's best players. Junior center Marte Alexander has a height advantage over Stanford's Olympia Scott (6-4 compared to 6-2), and is Arizona's most athletic center.

"We have worked so hard this season to get to this point," Bonvicini said. "There is never a better time than the present to break this streak. We have been able to accomplish a great deal so far, this would be just a great ending, though."