While the Wildcat women's basketball team was busy avoiding an upset, an upset in Eugene, Ore., put Arizona back on top in the Pac-10.
After Oregon upset Stanford 67-66, the Wildcats squeaked out a close one in Pullman, Wash., last night, 77-72 over Washington State. The win pulled Arizona into a first-place tie with the Cardinal in the Pacific 10 Conference.
"We feel like we didn't play well (last night), but we hung on and won, and now this is about us," said UA head coach Joan Bonvicini. "It's an opportunity for us to win our Pac-10 title."
The Wildcats (21-7, 13-4 Pac-10) made it possible for the Cougars (5-21, 1-16) to stay close the entire game, never leading by more than 11.
WSU's season-high 72 points came a week after Arizona held Oregon and Oregon State to below 60 points in a pair of matchups last week.
"We didn't play as intense defensively. Not even close," Bonvicini said. "We played hot and cold, and it showed.
"Let's put it this way: It got everyone's attention. They know they can play better."
Two clutch free throws by junior forward Danielle Adefeso with less than 30 seconds left were the insurance points Arizona needed, stretching the lead to 76-68. Adefeso tallied five points and five rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench.
Hanging on to a one-point lead to start the second half, the Wildcats came out and extended the lead to 61-50 midway through the second. But WSU never let the UA go on a substantial run to put the game away. Cougar Bianca McCall kept WSU in the game with a huge night, putting up game-high totals of 24 points and 18 rebounds. WSU out-rebounded Arizona 42-34.
"I thought we played down a little bit, down to the level of the team," Bonvicini said. "We need to get some other people rebounding."
The difference-maker for the Wildcats came from an unlikely source: 3-point shooting. A weak spot for the team for most of the season, the Wildcats made a season-high nine 3s ÷ a combined seven from guards Dee-Dee Wheeler and Aimee Grzyb, who had 20 and 12 points, respectively.
Bonvicini said she was comfortable with her team launching 26 3-point attempts because sophomore center Shawntinice Polk was constantly triple-teamed, allowing open looks from beyond the arc.
Polk recorded her 35th career double-double for Arizona. The 6-foot-5 center had 19 points, 14 rebounds, six blocks, six assists, three steals and no fouls. Polk averages four fouls per game on the road.
In the first half, the Wildcats started off early with the 3-point bombs ÷ one by Wheeler and two straight by Grzyb ÷ leading the Wildcats to a 16-7 lead to open the game.
WSU answered back with a 7-0 run to make it 16-14. WSU guard Stephanie Singer scored to give the Cougars the lead at 21-20, but the Wildcats fought back to take a 39-38 lead into halftime.
Arizona State's 63-55 loss at Washington last night assured the Wildcats nothing short of sole possession of second place in the conference. Arizona heads to Seattle for its regular-season finale against the Huskies tomorrow at 2 p.m.
"I know we'll play a whole lot better. I really do," Bonvicini said.
÷ Shane Dale contributed to this report.