WILL SEBERGER/Arizona Daily Wildcat Icecat junior forward Mickey Meehan skates past a defender last weekend. Arizona went 2-1-1 over break to stay alive in its quest for a postseason berth.

A look inside the UA's winter break sports action

Stanford ends men's hoops win streak

A successful holiday run ended in disappointment for the UA men's basketball team, which fell to conference rival Stanford on Saturday.

The Cardinal put a halt to Arizona's steady rise to No. 3 in The Associated Press' rankings, dropping the Wildcats to No. 7 in the nation. Arizona finished winter break with a 5-1 record, playing all six games in the Grand Canyon state.

After cruising to 12- and 16-point wins over San Diego State and Liberty, respectively, sophomore forward Andre Iguodala bailed the Wildcats out of trouble with an acrobatic, last-second, 3-point bucket to send Arizona past Louisiana-Lafayette, 72-69.

UA then kicked off its Pacific-10 Conference schedule with an impressive 19-point triumph over rival Arizona State in Tempe. The Wildcats kept their high-powered offense rolling five days later behind sophomore guard/forward Hassan Adams' 19-point performance, drubbing the Golden Bears of California 95-75.

Sorely lacking in height, UA head coach Lute Olson's squad added Ivan Radenovic, a 6-foot-10 power forward from Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro, to the roster. Radenovic made an immediate impact, pouring in 17 points in his Wildcat debut versus Liberty.

The versatility of Radenovic wasn't enough, however, to overcome one of the worst shooting performances of the Olson era, as Arizona was downed by Stanford 82-72 in McKale Center.

The Wildcats continue their Pac-10 schedule this week, traveling to Los Angeles to face Southern California and UCLA.

-Christopher Wuensch

Women's hoops great at home, OK on road

CLAIRE C. LAURENCE/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona sophomore center Shawntinice Polk threads the Sun Devil defense Jan. 2 in McKale Center. After posting a 6-2 record over winter break, the Wildcats will take on USC tomorrow at home in a battle of second-place Pac-10 teams.

The Wildcat women's hoops team is suffering from a severe case of split personality disorder.

Arizona (12-4, 4-1 Pacific-10 Conference) is a dominating force at home. The team is 8-0 in McKale Center this season and has won 21 straight in Tucson, the fifth-longest home winning streak in the nation.

But on the road, the Wildcats are mediocre at best. They're 4-4 away from McKale on the season, and are coming off their worst defeat of the season, an 84-62 trouncing at the hands of No. 7 Stanford.

"I think part of it and a lot of it is mental," said UA head coach Joan Bonvicini of Arizona's troubles away from the friendly confines of McKale. "You've got to play that much harder on the road. I think we have a good basketball team, but a real good basketball team needs to win on the road."

The Wildcats went 6-2 during winter break. They matched a school record with their 10th straight victory after an 81-60 rout of Arizona State Jan. 2. The streak was snapped two days later at No. 17 Louisiana State.

Junior guard Dee-Dee Wheeler has become Arizona's leading scorer. Wheeler led the Wildcats in scoring each game during their three-game road swing, tallying more than 20 points each outing.

- Shane Dale

Icecats over .500, keep tourney hopes alive

With injuries, ineligible players, last-second changes to their lines and an inability to finish games strong, the Arizona Icecats' games over winter break seemed a lot like their games before it.

Saturday, No. 15 UA (8-7-2) closed out the break with a 2-2 tie against Indiana, surrendering a goal right before the end of the game. The Icecats went 2-1-1 in their critical last four games as they try to make the ACHA tournament.

"We had to not lose this weekend and we didn't," said head coach Leo Golembiewski. "It is too bad we had to get scored on with 1:13 left in the game."

The UA opened its series with the Hoosiers with a 4-2 win and split a pair the week before with No. 16 St. Louis, winning 3-2, then losing 4-2 as the Billikens scored a pair of third-period goals.

Against IU, goalie Bryan Aronchick was one of the players of the game both nights, with 34 and 38 saves, respectively, in back-to-back games.

The Icecats needed a solid start to the season to make sure they make the tournament, which they have yet to miss in team history. The top 12 teams in the rankings make the tourney, though No. 4 Lindenwood is ineligible because this is their first season. There are three polls remaining, with the next one due out Jan. 23.

The Icecats play Lindenwood this weekend in their second-to-last home series. The Lions are 24-1 going into their Arizona road trip, which started with two games earlier this week against No. 19 Arizona State.

-James Kelley

Gymcats open season with sweep in Michigan

Arizona gymnastics began its 2004 schedule with a first-place finish in East Lansing, Mich., against No. 10 Louisiana State, Michigan State and Western Michigan.

Arizona's team score of 195.425 earned the Wildcats a perfect 3-0 record after their first meet. The mark included a team vault mark of 49.175, which is the eighth best in the team's history.

Three UA gymnasts posted individual titles in Jenison Field House on the MSU campus. Junior Monica Bisordi won the all-around with a score of 39.3. Junior Jamie Duce, a native of Flushing, Mich., took the bars title on her home turf with a 9.875. Another junior, Katie Johnson, took the floor title.

The sweep in Michigan marked the third consecutive season the Wildcats have opened the season undefeated.

Arizona will return to warmer regions when it plays host to its first home meet and Pac-10 opener Friday at 7:30 p.m. in McKale Center.

- From staff and wire reports

Swim and dive dominate first meet of new year

The Arizona men's and women's swimming and diving teams kicked off 2004 on Friday by dominating Missouri, Purdue and Northern Arizona at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center.

The No. 6 UA women beat the Tigers by 100 points and outscored Northern Arizona 183-58. Sophomore Katie Willis took the 200 freestyle and junior Jessica Hayes claimed the win in the 200 individual medley. Arizona won 12 of 13 events in the pool.

Sophomore diver Mary Yarrison broke a career-high with a three-meter score of 295.21, and took the one-meter event with a 267.22.

The No. 7 Wildcat men outlasted the Boilermakers, 134-105, and tamed the Tigers 167-66, winning 10 of the 13 pool events. Senior Eric La Fleur won the 50 free, while sophomore Lyndon Ferns took second in the 200 butterfly.

Junior diver John Collier broke season highs in both the one- and three-meter events.

Arizona's Yarrison and Jeff Anderson will compete in the FINA World Cup Diving Championships beginning tomorrow in Huntersville, N.C. The next team meet is scheduled for Jan. 23, when the Wildcats travel to Berkeley, Calif., to face Cal.

-From staff and wire reports