Pickney caps off huge second half with buzzer-beater

KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat

(From left) UA head coach Joan Bonvicini, senior forward Elizabeth Pickney and freshman guard Dee-Dee Wheeler embrace after Pickney's game-winning layup to defeat Notre Dame Saturday in McKale Center.

Looks like the men aren't the only ones capable of pulling off a huge upset.

Arizona (3-0) upset defending National Champion No. 15 Notre Dame (1-2), 72-70, on a layup by Elizabeth Pickney as time expired Saturday night in McKale Center.

After UA forward Krista Warren hit a game-tying shot with 20 seconds remaining, guard Dee-Dee Wheeler picked off Notre Dame's inbound pass. After wearing time off the clock, UA guard Julie Brase hit Pickney under the basket to set up the game-winning score.

Pickney scored 27 points on the night, 21 in the second half. She was also perfect from the free-throw line, hitting all 11 of her shots from the stripe.

"I thought Pickney played well," said Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw. "She made some plays down the stretch. Obviously, her being perfect from the line did not help us."

Freshman guard Dee-Dee Wheeler added 18 points for the Wildcats, a career high. She also led the team with four steals and often sparked the Wildcats with her defensive intensity.

The game was close throughout, featuring 15 lead changes. The Wildcats combated poor shooting and a lack of post presence by going perfect from the free-throw line, hitting all 20 of their foul shots. They also forced the Irish into 21 giveaways, while only turning over the ball 12 times.

"It was a tremendous win tonight," said UA head coach Joan Bonvicini. "This game was about respect. I think we beat a very good opponent tonight."

Notre Dame preseason first-team All-Big East guard Alicia Ratay scored 19 points in the losing effort.

It was the second consecutive loss suffered by the Irish, who lost to No. 20 Colorado State Wednesday. The Fighting Irish had not lost a game to a Pacific 10 Conference opponent since the 1991-1992 season.

KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat

UA freshman guard Dee-Dee Wheeler takes a jump shot during Saturday's game against Notre Dame Saturday in McKale Center.

The Wildcats shot 33.8 percent from the field for the game, their lowest mark since last season's 95-65 loss to the Irish.

"It makes you feel a lot better knowing that you beat a team that beat you by 30 the year before," Pickney said.

For most of the game, Notre Dame was able to shut down Arizona's post offense and force the Wildcats into long-range shots. However, in the last 10 minutes of the contest, Pickney took over the Wildcat offense, scoring key baskets and drawing fouls.

Three nights before, UA experienced a totally different type of win, defeating Ohio State in a lopsided affair, 90-76.

Arizona led by as much as 21, while OSU trailed by double digits for most of the game.

In contrast to Saturday's contest, the Wildcats were able to establish themselves in the post early and often throughout.

Pickney scored 24 points, and senior center LaKeisha Taylor led the team in rebounding with 10 rebounds - including seven on the offensive glass - and chipped in with 16 points of her own.

Sophomore guard Candice Allen provided a spark from the outside, shooting a torrid 78 percent from the field on her way to a career-best 18 points off the bench.

For the first two minutes, the game was as close as many expected. But OSU's 4-2 lead would be its only advantage of the night, as an 18-2 run spurred by Pickney pushed the Wildcats in front to stay.

Allen came off the bench later in the first half and immediately made her presence felt, scoring 11 points in the next five minutes. Allen did not miss a shot until six minutes into the second half, finishing 7 of 9 from the field. She also led the team with five steals.

The prodigious UA lead allowed Bonvicini to insert her backups in the waning minutes of the game. Redshirt freshman walk-on Michelle Tibbetts saw her first action as a Wildcat in the final minute.