Defensive pressure overwhelms Sonoma State in 40-point win

It was over before it started last night, as the Arizona men's basketball team cruised to a 103-63 victory over Sonoma State in the first exhibition game of the year in McKale Center.

After struggling initially, the Wildcats' full-court pressure defense proved to be overwhelming for the visiting Seawolves.

Arizona used a 17-0 run in the first half to make the score 31-15, holding Sonoma scoreless for over five minutes. [Read article]

They've been here before.

For the first time in the 11-year history of the Arizona soccer program, its players can say the postseason is somewhat familiar to them.

The Wildcats slid through the back door this week after finishing fifth in the Pacific 10 Conference, and they travel to Salt Lake City to take on Utah (14-6-1, 6-0-1 Mountain West Conference) tonight at 7 in the first round of the 2005 NCAA College Cup, a much shorter distance than they traveled last season. [Read article]

Rebuilding Huskies winless in conference

After asking Arizona football head coach Mike Stoops to evaluate Washington, the Wildcats' opponent Saturday, local media might have been confused about his terminology.

Stoops used the same phrases he has continued to use about his own team over the past two years - "young," "aggressive," "searching for themselves."

Don't forget "learning how to win." [Read article]

Cats finish exhibition slate against D-II Fort Lewis

The Arizona women's basketball team concludes its exhibition schedule tomorrow against Division II Fort Lewis College at 7 p.m. in McKale Center.

It'll be a reunion of sorts for senior guard Natalie Jones, who will face off against East Anchorage (Alaska) High School teammate Christa Wilson, with whom she won three state championships. [Read article]

Wins have not come easily for Washington football head coach Tyrone Willingham in his first season at the helm of the Husky program.

In fact, Washington, Arizona's opponent Saturday at Arizona Stadium, has just one of them, a 34-6 decision against Idaho Sept. 17, in a season plagued by an NCAA-imposed probation and on-field mistakes.

Never mind the Huskies' record, though, said Arizona head coach Mike Stoops, who called Washington a "dangerous" team with Willingham's leadership. [Read article]

The No. 6 Arizona volleyball team has picked the right time of year to play to its potential, with the postseason looming three weeks away.

But the Wildcats will be put to the test today, as Arizona (17-4, 9-3 Pacific 10 Conference) duals with No. 18 California (15-7, 8-5) at 8 p.m. in Berkeley, Calif.

The Wildcats battle with No. 4 Stanford (21-4, 10-3) tomorrow night at 8 in Palo Alto, Calif. [Read article]

Many Arizona students will be spending their Veterans Day weekends drinking or catching up on homework.

The Wildcat men's golf team is off to Orlando, Fla., to play in the Hooters Collegiate Match Play Championship tomorrow through Sunday.

Leading the way for Arizona is junior Henry Liaw, who is coming off a second-place finish at the CordeValle Invitational on Nov. 1.

"He is the leader of the team," said Wildcat assistant coach John Knauer. "He has a different attitude ... the way he goes about his business." [Read article]

After a strong weekend on the road in St. Louis, the No. 13 Arizona men's club hockey team returns home for a series against Cal State-Long Beach. The puck drops at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Tucson Convention Center Arena.

Although not a Division-I team in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, the 49ers come into Tucson this weekend with a reputation as one of the better teams in the West. [Read article]

The Arizona diving teams will compete in the Trojan Invite at Southern California's McDonald's Swim Stadium on Friday and Saturday.

The event will consist of both 1-meter and 3m competition, along with tower diving.

"This is a good warm-up for the divers to see what their competition will be like in the Pac-10," said Arizona diving head coach Michele Mitchell-Rocha.

Mitchell-Rocha said she is expecting good results from all the divers going, particularly seniors John Collier and Tiffany Manning. [Read article]

Despite finishing in second place at the Pac-10 Championships on Oct. 29, the No. 9 Arizona men's cross country team looks to redeem itself Saturday at the NCAA West Region Championships in Palo Alto, Calif.

The Wildcat men had three top-10 finishers in the 8,000-meter Pacific 10 Conference Championship race in Tucson, led by juniors Robert Cheseret, Obed Mutanya and senior Jonah Maiyo, who finished first, second and ninth, respectively. [Read article]

The Arizona women's basketball team concludes its exhibition schedule tomorrow against Division II Fort Lewis College at 7 p.m. in McKale Center.

It'll be a reunion of sorts for senior guard Natalie Jones, who will face off against East Anchorage (Alaska) High School teammate Christa Wilson, with whom she won three state championships.

"I'm very excited to play against her," Jones said. "It's funny. They called us Ebony and Ivory because I'm black and she's white. We're both quick and have a good shot. We played off each other." [Read article]