On a Tuesday night full of close contests, the UA campus was home to one decisive winner.
The Arizona women's basketball team pounced on Play Mode Sports 24-0 in the first half, riding the margin to an 80-54 victory in the Wildcats' first exhibition contest of the season.
"I saw a lot of good tonight," UA head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "We came out and executed well."
The Wildcats dominated the first 10 minutes, sparked by junior center Shawntinice Polk and freshman guard Jessica Arnold.
Arnold, a native Tucsonan, finished with 10 points, three rebounds, and three assists, all while fulfilling what she called a longtime dream.
"It's something I've thought about since I was 5," she said of playing in a UA uniform in McKale Center.
Arnold was the team's fifth starter for last night's game, a spot she said is still highly contested within the team.
While the starting spot remains a question, Arnold's play Tuesday earned Bonvicini's praise.
"Jess has a great feel for the game," she said.
"I was nervous initially, but once we were playing, Polkey was talking to me, I got it going," Arnold said.
Polk did a lot more than talk, registering game highs with 17 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, despite going down in the first after a hard foul.
"You just can't stop playing. I need to be in the post, and I can't afford to get hurt for my teammates' (sake)," the All-America center said. "It's all a part of the game."
"We came out and played really well," she said. "I was surprised. Last year we started usually started out sluggish."
Bonvicini added to the contrast of last year's team, which won a share of the Pac-10 conference championship.
"We're better than we were a year ago," she said, adding that the team isn't quite perfect yet. "We still have a lot of work to do."
Arizona, opens regular season play in the National Invitational Tournament Nov. 12, hosting St. Mary's University, saw trouble spots, particularly early in the second half. After leading 42-16 at halftime, Play Mode outscored UA 23-11 the half's first 10 minutes.
"Our transition defense was our biggest downfall," Polk said. "We'll work on it in practice and get the kinks out before St. Mary's."
Play Mode's second-half run cut the UA lead to 14 before Dee-Dee Wheeler sparked a recovery with seven minutes left. Her breakaway layup was the beginning of a 25-13 Wildcat run to close out the night.
"At moments we look really good, other times you're scratching your head," Bonvicini said.
"We're looking at different combinations. We're trying to figure out who's ready," she said.