Women gear up for sizable test over tourney weekend

Ian Mayer Arizona Daily Wildcat UA head coach Joan Bonvicini looks down the bench during Saturday's game against UCLA. The UA women go head to head with Santa Clara in the first round NCAA Tournament Friday at 10 p.m. in McKale Center.

The Santa Clara Broncos, Arizona's first round opponent at 10 p.m. Friday, features seven players taller than six feet - including 6-foot-6-inch center Christine Rigby, who is averaging 10.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks a game.

The Broncos (23-7), who beat St. Mary's, Calif., in the championship game of the West Coast Conference to earn their first tournament berth since 1994, also have 6-2 junior Brook Staebell and 6-1 sophomore Katie Pursley to round out their starting frontcourt.

"They're a well-coached team," UA head coach Joan Bonvicini said during a pre-tourney press conference yesterday. "They're just smart. They play good defense. It'll be interesting to see what they do with us."

If the ninth-ranked Wildcats (21-6) get by Santa Clara, they face the winner of Southern Methodist and No. 18 Virginia, a team that has already beaten Santa Clara and the two seed in the West, North Carolina.

SMU (21-7) finished in third place in the Pacific Division of the Western Athletic Conference. The team earned an at-large bid to the tournament and will face a Virginia squad that only finished in fifth place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but features the ACC's leading shot blocker - 6-2 junior center DeMya Walker with 3.4 rejections a game.

"If I haven't been a leader yet, I plan to this weekend and for the rest of my career," Walker said. "I plan on stepping up."

Walker also averages 15.7 points and 8.4 rebounds to complement senior guard Mimi McKinney, who averages 15.1 points and 5.8 rebounds a game for the Cavaliers (18-9).

But after breaking an unspecified team rule, McKinney will not start against SMU for the Cavaliers. Virginia is making its 15th consecutive tournament appearance and of those 15 years, this is the first time the Cavaliers will have to travel during the tournament's first weekend.

"They already know they are the worst Virginia team in 15 years - they are well aware of that and what they've said to me is 'we'd like to be the worst team in 15 years to do what nobody else has done,'" UVA head coach Debbie Ryan said. "I like their attitude. I think they feel like the Lord is giving them one more opportunity to do something and they really want to take advantage of the opportunity."

If SMU's top post threat, sophomore forward Karlin Kennedy (16.4 ppg, 8.5 rpg), can't get past Walker, the Mustangs do have the outside shooting to keep them in the game.

Senior guard Kveta Truchlikova has hit nearly 43 percent (54-126) of her three point attempts and junior guard Karen Blair, who leads SMU with 5.1 assists a game, hits 40 percent from long distance (24-60).

Assuming Arizona does not get upset at home, it will most likely meet Connecticut, the two seed in the East, in the Sweet Sixteen in Dayton, Ohio.

The Huskies, who have won 18 of their last 19 games since a 84-69 loss at top-ranked Tennessee, are playing without leading scorer Nykesha Sales (20.9 ppg), who ruptured her Achilles tendon against Notre Dame, Feb. 21.

Arizona senior forward Adia Barnes said that while there are no easy games, some are easier than others.

"I think UConn is a great team but definitely not as strong without Nykesha Sales," she said.

Beyond Connecticut, to reach the Final Four the Wildcats have to overcome an Old Dominion team that went 16-0 in the Colonial Athletic Conference on its way to a 24-2 overall record.

Old Dominion's only two losses are at Connecticut and at Tennessee, but the Lady Monarchs have won by an average of 33 points since the Feb. 21 85-61 loss to the Lady Volunteers.

Old Dominion is led by senior All-Americans Nyree Roberts (20.6 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 2.1 bpg) and Ticha Penicheiro (7.6 apg, 4.8 spg). Penicheiro was a first-team All-American while Roberts was named to the third team.