By Seth Doria
Arizona Daily Wildcat
December 10, 1997

Red-hot Wildcats welcome Texas A&M

Ian Mayer Arizona Daily Wildcat UA senior guard DeAngela Minter (32) elevates for a lefthanded layup in Sunday's game against Nebraska. Minter has nearly doubled her scoring average to 12.5 points a game and averages 2.3 steals.

When the Arizona women's basketball team suits up against Texas A&M tonight at 7 at McKale Center, it better keep the laces tight.

The Wildcats are now ranked the eighth in the country, the highest the program has ever achieved, and everyone is going to be gunning for them.

The team only has four games left before the Pacific 10 Conference schedule begins with a road trip to Southern Cal and UCLA.

Whereas in previous years Arizona, and everybody else in the Pac-10 for that matter, have battled it out for second place behind perennial champ Stanford, this season things are shaping up a bit differently.

Stanford has dropped from fourth in most preseason polls to No. 18 this week as a result of losses against Wisconsin, Purdue and Tennessee.

Arizona is the highest-ranked team in the Pac-10, something that has never happened before.

"I wouldn't judge (other Pac-10 teams) on the first couple of games," head coach Joan Bonvicini said, "we don't want to look ahead, we just want to look at what's going on with us."

Senior forward Adia Barnes agreed, saying "they're going to be good - teams are going to improve day by day."

Redshirt freshman guard Reshea Bristol pointed out that the early losses would hurt Stanford's momentum going into the conference season, which is why the next four games are so important for the Wildcats.

Arizona is already playing tenacious defense and, with the exception of Sunday's 68-56 win over No. 12 Nebraska, the Wildcats have scored over 80 points in each game.

But the Wildcats still aren't satisfied. After a 96-49 drubbing of Northeastern, senior guard DeAngela Minter said Arizona will not grow complacent.

"We've shown rumors of good things," she said, "but as far as being consistent, we still have to work."

And this was after a game in which the UA had 25 steals and caused 41 turnovers.

Bonvicini said rebounding is still the Wildcats' weakness after being outrebounded 51-39 against Nebraska.

Texas A&M sophomore forward Prissy Sharpe has been on a tear, and should give the Wildcat post players some extra practice against a tough rebounder before conference play begins.

Sharpe has tallied double-doubles in all five Aggie games, including a 20-point, 12-rebound performance against then 10th-ranked Vanderbilt.

Aggie sophomore guard Amy Yates provides the outside game. Yates hit seven three-pointers against Sam Houston State last Wednesday on her way to a 26-point game. Yates also nailed 6 of 8 three-pointers and finished with 25 points against UNLV on Nov. 29.

At 5-foot-9, Yates can also post up Wildcat guards. Minter and Lisa Griffith are both 5-6. UA's other guards, Monika Crank and Felicity Willis, are 5-7.

The Wildcats do have the 5-10 Bristol, but assistant coach Denise Dove said Arizona would try to use a physical style of play instead of changing personnel.

"We're just going to try to utilize our quickness," she said. "Basketball is a game of matchups. Hopefully we'll use our strengths tomorrow night."

Winter break game schedule

Dec. 20. Purdue @ Indianapolis; Louisiana Tech Dial Classic

Dec. 29 Baylor @ Ruston, La.

Dec. 30 2nd game @ Ruston, La.

Jan. 2 USC @ Los Angeles

Jan. 4 UCLA @ Los Angeles

Jan. 8 WSU @ Tucson

Jan. 10 Wash. @ Tucson

Jan 12 Stanford @ Tucson