Aft Pickney, James lead UA to victory against Gauchos
er coming off an embarrassing loss to No. 5 Notre Dame last Monday in South Bend, Ind., the Arizona women's basketball team bounced back yesterday by defeating UC Santa Barbara, 71-63, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Wildcats (2-1 overall) charge was lead by junior forward Elizabeth Pickney, who finished with a game high 20 points and eight rebounds.
Arizona finished the game with a 13-5 run which clinched the victory against the Gauchos (1-3 overall) on their home floor.
Eight of Arizona's final 13 points came courtesy of the free throw line.
UCSB guard Rachelle Rogers tied the game at 58 with 3:21 remaining in the second half. On the next possession, Arizona took the lead off a Gaucho turnover with a layup by freshman forward Veranda James.
James finished with a game high nine rebounds to go along with her 16 points and shot 6-for-7 from the field.
Despite James' game-high nine rebounds, the Wildcats were out-rebounded 46-44 by UC Santa Barbara.
In just her third collegiate game, James became an impact player en route to the Wildcat victory. James and Pickney were the only Arizona players to reach double-digits in the game.
The Gauchos were lead by guard Debby Caine, who finished with a team-high 16 points and six assists.
Arizona was buoyed by strong free throw shooting last night. The Wildcats shot 21-of-33 from the free throw line with Pickney netting eight of her 12 attempts.
UA's victory can also be attributed to its success from the floor. The Wildcats shot 40 percent (24-for-60) from the floor while UCSB was only able to connect on 20-for-60 for a 33 percent clip.
The Wildcats prevailed despite the strong play of UCSB senior forward Nicole Greathouse, who hit three three-pointers in the first five minutes of play.
UA's Reshea Bristol finished with a team high five assists to go along with her nine points. The senior guard did struggle from the field as she was only 3-for-10.
