KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat UA sophomore guard Candice Allen drives past a Washington defender Saturday afternoon in McKale Center. Allen scored a game- and career-high 25 points.

UA sophomore leads women to second straight win

When sophomore guard Candice Allen was sidelined for one month nursing a concussion, her absence left UA women's basketball team without a spark off the bench.

After returning for her third game against Washington Saturday afternoon, the Wildcats learned just how valuable the UA sophomore is.

"Candice gives us a different look that no one else her size can," UA head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "When she gets out there, you can see her confidence growing."

While posting a career-high 25 points, Allen led the Wildcats to an 83-69 victory over Washington, marking their first back-to-back win since November after blowing by Washington State, 107-57, Thursday night.

"Coach B kept saying, 'attack, attack, attack­' and I said 'OK,'" Allen said. "We're going to keep going in there and keep (the winning) going. We're on a roll."

Arizona (7-8 overall, 3-4 Pacific 10 Conference) and Washington played an even battle most of the first half until the Huskies went on a 6-0 run, fueled by six Wildcat turnovers, and took a 34-33 lead into the locker room.

The second half was an entirely different story for UA.

Senior forward Elizabeth Pickney helped lead the Wildcats on a 11-2 run with more than 11 minutes remaining in the game to give UA a 50-41 lead they would not relinquish.

With the lead cut to only three points, the Wildcats fueled a 9-2 run to lead UA, 64-54 as they slowly began to walk away with the victory.

The Arizona defense, which Bonvicini said she constantly changed throughout the game to keep the Huskies confused, made the difference.

"On defense, we were trapping at times and faking at times and we controlled the tempo the entire second half," Bonvicini said. "This is a big win for our team and our confidence is growing."

Pickney agreed.

"Our defense really helped us step it up and helped us down the stretch," she said. "It was a big win and a huge confidence booster."

Pickney finished the game with 24 points and nine rebounds while freshman guard Dee-Dee Wheeler contributed 18 points and five rebounds.

Junior forward Krista Warren finished with a game-high 11 rebounds, although she was held to only four points.

"Coming off this win gives us more confidence," Wheeler said. "We just want to continue our winning streak."

The Wildcats will have the opportunity to do just that as they hold their final non-conference game against defending Big West Conference champion UC-Santa Barbara tonight.

The Gauchos bring a 6-5 record to Tucson and are led by 6-foot-3 senior forward Kayte Christensen.

The game tips off tonight at 7 in McKale Center.