It was home sweet home once again for the No. 25 Arizona's women's basketball team as the Wildcats won their 32nd consecutive game at McKale Center, an 80-53 victory over Weber State yesterday. The win earned Arizona the Mission Management and Trust Fiesta Classic championship.
Arizona (5-1) shot 46 percent from the floor, 33 percent from 3-point range and 88 percent from the free-throw line during the win. The UA defense held WSU to only 26 percent from the field and out-rebounded its opponent by 19 (49 to 30). The turnover battle was balanced at 15 per team.
"Weber State (is) a good shooting team," UA head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "They give you a lot of different matchup problems; they spread the court well. Down the stretch, their legs were just tired. If you're going to rely on jumpers to win ballgames, that's great until you face someone that's really pressuring you."
In the first half, freshman guard Jessica Arnold used a behind-the-back pass to connect with junior center Shawntice Polk for a layup to give the Wildcats a 5-2 lead. Five minutes later an Arnold 3-pointer was matched by Weber State's Laura Porter, pushing the score to 10-9.
Arnold nailed another 3-pointer to give Arizona an 8-point lead but the visiting Wildcats drained a trey in their next possession to cut the lead to 17-12. WSU added two more 3-pointers to make it a 3-point game at 26-23. Arizona headed into the locker room with an 8-point lead, 38-30.
"It took us a while to get adjusted in the first half," Bonvicini said. "They were playing a sagging man and at first we were taking quick jumpers, not moving the ball enough. We made some adjustments in the middle of the first half. I was really disappointed defensively. We were in foul trouble and put them to the line so many times."
Arizona recorded the first five points to open up the second half, including a 3-pointer and two free throws by junior guard Natalie Jones. A layup by freshman forward Che Oh helped create a 10-point lead with 13 minutes to play in the half. The home team never looked back and went on to lead by as many as 29 points before finishing 80-53.
"We're a team that likes to get up and press and run traps and give teams different looks," said senior point guard Dee-Dee Wheeler, who was named tournament's most valuable player. "We really had to adjust to a 3-point shooting team. (Julie Gjertsen) for Weber State did an excellent job. She rebounded really hard and executed and scored a lot of points."
Polk, Jones and freshman guard Ashley Whisonant were also named to the all-tournament team.
The Wildcats decimated UNC Greensboro a day earlier by a 50-point margin in first-round action, 98-48, setting a new tournament record for points in a game.
As a team, Arizona shot 53 percent from the floor, 28 percent from beyond the arc and 69 percent from the free-throw line. The Wildcat defense held UNCG to 29 percent from the field and 65 percent from the stripe. The Spartans failed to connect on all 12 of their attempts from downtown.
"We knew we outmatched Greensboro," Bonvicini said. "They were really scrappy and never quit. I think (our) players are starting to understand about playing together. It's just nice to see the entire team play well."
Five Wildcats scored in the double-digits, including Wheeler, who recorded a game-high 19 points - with two baskets from 3-point range - in addition to six assists, five rebounds and four steals.
"I just thought today we played a really good team game - unselfish, good passing and most of all making the extra pass," said Bonvicini. "I thought Ashley was phenomenal off the bench - a career high but, more important, I think she really sparked us."
"Coach B told me at the beginning of the season that of course I'm not going to start but she wants me to be a spark off the bench, that's what I'm here to do," said Whisonant, who netted a career-high 16 points.
Jones added 15 points and seven boards on the night while Polk just missed recording a triple-double as she finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks in only 18 minutes on the court. Senior Katrina Lindner notched a career-high 11 points, including 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc.
In the first half, freshman forward Chari Smith fed Wheeler a fast-break pass to give Arizona an early 16-3 lead and force a Spartan timeout. A Wheeler steal and layup gave the Wildcats a 20-point cushion at 38-18 with just over 5 minutes left to play. Arizona went on to outscore the Spartans 15-6 for the remainder of the half and headed into the locker room with a first-half season high of 53 points, compared to 24 by UNCG.
Wheeler capped off a 10-0 Arizona run with a field goal to begin the second half. Whisonant netted another basket to give Arizona a 42-point lead at 76-34. The Wildcats led by as many as 52 points before closing out the game 98-48.
The Wildcats hit the road for their next contest as they take on No. 6 Georgia at noon Sunday.