Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

Wildcats down Beavers in overtime thriller

Just when the Pacific 10 Conference championship seemed to be slipping away for the UA women's basketball team, senior guard Lisa Griffith hit a three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining in regulation, to keep the Wildcats hopes alive.

Griffith, who had missed all six previous three-point attempts, put the Wildcats ahead by two and swayed the momentum toward the UA , enabling Arizona to put the Oregon State Beavers away in overtime 79-77.

"They were sagging off of me and my shot just wasn't falling during the game, but if you are a shooter and have a shooter's mentality, you've got to have guts," Griffith said. "And I've got guts. Usually I can beat them a little earlier, but I just waited until the last part of the game."

After being led into overtime by Griffith, playing in her next-to-last game at McKale Center, the three other seniors led the Wildcats down the final five minute stretch.

Seniors, guard Felecity Willis and forward Tatum Brown each hit a pair of free throws and forward Angela Lackey and Brown hit jumpers to help the Wildcats keep pace with Oregon State, who seemed to have an answer to just about everything Arizona dished out.

"Finally we started making a run, picking up our intensity, getting to the free throw line and start spreading our scoring around a little bit," UA head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "I thought that once we got the lead, we were going to win in regulation."

After opening with a 3-0 lead, Arizona trailed the Beavers the entire game, by margins as large as 13 points in the first half and 12 in the second.

The Wildcats began to chip away at the Oregon State lead with 7:21 remaining with an outside jumper by junior guard Reshea Bristol. Two minutes later, sophomore guard Julie Brase hit a three-pointer to put Arizona within one point, completing the UA rally.

"We missed a couple of shots and they made some and we just got out of a flow, so that hurt us," Griffith said. "But we fought back and that's the sign of an experienced team. We didn't give up and didn't lose our composure and stayed with it. You've got to do those kind of things."

What may have won the game for the Wildcats was their record-tying night at the free-throw line.

UA made 91 percent of its free throws going 20-for-22

Sophomore forward Elizabeth Pickney led the Wildcats' scoring effort with 17 points, while Bristol had 15 and Brown notched 14.

"This is a big win and I always said that there is always a game that is really tight from a team that you don't necessarily expect it to be and this was that game," Bonvicini said. "These are games that help you as we continue in the conference, down the stretch and how you advance in the tournament. You've got to show that you can win the close games and show poise."

Five Wildcat seniors play their final game in McKale Center against Oregon at 2 p.m. tomorrow, while trying to keep pace in the Pac-10 race. The Ducks are a half a game in front of Arizona, as they visit Tucson with hopes of revenging the 73-66 UA victory on Feb. 4.