Veteran Wildcats open season with youthful Gauchos

Five returning starters and a coach who has done it all before.

They have the talent, desire, depth and chemistry to do better and go farther than any women's basketball team in UA history.

Now all they have to do is get on the court and win.

And Sunday at 2 p.m., Arizona gets its first chance to prove its No. 14 ranking against the UC-Santa Barbara Gauchos.

"We're well prepared," head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "But you're always a little bit nervous for the first game. We're going to have to work really hard."

The Gauchos are a young team, with no seniors on the squad, after going 24-6 and racing to the Big West Conference championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

UCSB is led by sophomore point guard Stacy Clinesmith, who started all 30 games last season.

Clinesmith averaged 10.7 points and 4.5 assists per game and led the conference in three-point shooting, hitting 41 percent of her 126 attempts. She was second on the team with 53 steals.

With Clinesmith in charge of the perimeter game, the Gauchos will look to another sophomore, Kristi Rohr, to anchor the post.

Rohr led the Big West in field goal percentage last year, hitting at a .563 clip while playing 25.3 minutes a game.

Arizona should be able to exploit a few matchups with UCSB, most notably with 6-foot-4 senior Marte Alexander against 6-foot-2 UCSB freshman Nicole Greathouse.

Last night's game against ASU was Greathouse's first foray into college basketball, though she does bring some excellent credentials from her days at Buena High School in Ventura, Calif.

Greathouse was selected California All-State four straight years and was a USA Today All-American her senior season when she averaged 20.1 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Oh yeah, she also pitched six no-hitters for the softball team.

The game should be a high-scoring affair, as both teams employ a run-and-gun style of play. Both teams averaged more than 75 points per game last year.

Admission is free for UA students with an identification card. Tickets are $4 for the general public, $3 for UA faculty and staff, seniors and youth.