UA 65 ð OSU 54
Rebounding and double-digit scoring performances by four different Wildcats lifted the Arizona women's hoops team to a 65-54 victory over Oregon State Saturday night. After beating the Ducks Thursday night, the Wildcats earned their first sweep of the Oregon schools since the 2000 season.
With Stanford's loss to Southern California yesterday, the Wildcats (16-4, 8-1 Pacific 10 Conference) are now tied for first in the Pac-10. Arizona has won four straight and 15 of its last 17.
The OSU game was a defensive battle, as both teams had their shooting troubles. Luckily for the Wildcats, their troubles were in the first half, and Oregon State's (10-8, 4-5) came in the second.
The Wildcats were only down 35-31 at the half, despite going 5 of 9 from the free-throw line and shooting 37.5 percent (12 of 32) from the floor.
Dee-Dee Wheeler, who is third in the Pac-10 in scoring and the Wildcats' leading scorer, could not find her stroke early and went scoreless in the first half. But it did not take her long to start up in the second half, ending the game with 12 points.
The Beavers shot 48 percent (12 of 25) from the floor in the first half, but the Wildcats managed to stay close because center Shawntinice Polk, forward CoCoa Sanford and guard Natalie Jones were huge on the boards in the first 20 minutes. Polk ended the game with 13 boards while Jones and Sanford grabbed eight and six, respectively.
Arizona got busy early in the second half, tying the game at 39 and shortly thereafter taking the lead at 41-39. They led the rest of the game. The Wildcats extended their lead to as much as 15 points late in the game due to the abysmal shooting of Oregon State. The Beavers shot 19 percent (5 of 26) in the second half for 19 points.
Oregon State had just one field goal in the first 14 minutes of the second half.
The Wildcats, who are usually out-rebounded even when they win, dominated the boards 50-27, including a 26-10 advantage on the offensive glass.
Head coach Joan Bonvicini said this was the best game defensively that the Wildcats played on the road all season.
"Our kids stepped up defensively," Bonvicini said. "Rebounding-wise, we were amazing. We really controlled the boards."
Bonvicini also said it was Polk's best game on the road this season. The sophomore had been averaging about 12 points a game on the road, but finished with 20 on Saturday, matching her road season-high against UC Santa Barbara Nov. 25.
Along with Polk's and Wheeler's double-digit scoring efforts, senior guard Aimee Grzyb added 13 points, while freshman Shannon Hobson, Arizona's new starter at power forward, added 10.
With 55 seconds left in the game, Polk left the game after receiving an elbow to the head. Bonvicini said she would be examined by team doctors once she returned to Tucson.
Bonvicini was glad to come out of Oregon with the sweep, bringing her team's road record to 6-4. She says there is still more in store from this Wildcat team.
"We've improved a lot and grown a lot as a team," she said. "This team is special. We have great chemistry, and they're really starting to understand their role."