Wildcats get one last tune-up before regular season starts

DAVID HARDEN/Arizona Daily Wildcat

Junior guard Julie Brase drives to the lane during he Wildcats' game against Team Concept earlier this week.

The Arizona women's basketball team barely passed its first preseason test against Team Concept with an 83-81 victory Tuesday night.

But the Wildcats will have one more practice run to work out the kinks against the National Women's Basketball League USA Elite team Sunday afternoon before they begin the regular season against Pepperdine.

Proving to their fans that they are more aggressive offensively and better defensively than last season will be a challenge for UA this year.

"As a team, we can work on a lot," junior guard Julie Brase said. "We need to penetrate the gaps and learn the plays. I need to just calm down and play."

Arizona's guards have already struggled at feeding seniors forward Elizabeth Pickney and center LaKeisha Taylor in the post.

The guards are also looking to improve their accuracy from the three-point line, where they shot just 5 of 17 against Team Concept.

According to head coach Joan Bonvicini, the post defense was poor and needs much improvement. She said UA's veteran players had difficulty in the backcourt and turned the ball over too much.

But Bonvicini said she was happy the team got a wake-up call against its first exhibition opponent.

"Now (the players) can say, 'welcome to college basketball,'" Bonvicini said. "We have a lot to improve on between now and Sunday."

Bonvicini did say the Wildcats have made some improvements since last season.

Against Team Concept, UA shot an impressive 24 of 29 from the free throw line, and the coach said she was happy with the team rebounding.

Despite not getting many feeds in the post, Pickney and Taylor picked up enough offensive rebounds to finish the night with 28 and 15 points respectively.

Arizona showed poise in clutch situation - something the team hadn't prepared for in practice.

Trailing Team Concept 81-79, the Wildcats converted their last four free throws (from Taylor and then Pickney) and walked away with their first preseason victory.

The Wildcats acknowledge that they must not rely on last-minute decisions.

"We can't wait 'til the end of the game to make some jumpers," Bonvicini said. "We need to make them early on."

Freshman guard Dee-Dee Wheeler - who Bonvicini said was UA's top recruit - has made immediate contributions to the Wildcats' success against Team Concept.

Wheeler contributed 12 points and five assists in the win.

The Wildcats tip off at 2 p.m. in McKale Center.