UA women look forward to next year

Associated Press Arizona Daily Wildcat Sophomore guard Reshea Bristol (10), left, tries to steal the ball from Rutgers guard Tasha Pointer during the first half of their second round NCAA women's tournament game at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, N.J., Sunday, March 14. Rutgers routed Arizona 90-47.

With four quality players coming off redshirt seasons and no graduating seniors, the 1998-99 season might be only the beginning of what is to come.

Arizona defeated Florida 87-84 in overtime in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, overcoming a 17-point deficit midway through the second half. Rutgers, the host of the first and second rounds in the Midwest sub-regional, hammered Arizona 90-47 in the second round.

"The thing I told the kids at the end of the game was we had a great season and don't want to judge it by our last game," UA head coach Joan Bonvicini said. "You have to forget stuff like this, but use it in a good way for motivation for next season."

Junior forward Angela Lackey had a career-high 29 points against Florida, dominating the inside like the coaches knew she could.

"Felecity (Willis) just told me I have to pick up my game and play harder out there," Lackey said. "I didn't throw the cards in, I stayed with it. "It's a great feeling to be in the tournament. You have to rise to the occasion."

Lackey led the Wildcats with 12 points against Rutgers, as the team could not find any offensive rhythm against one of the nation's top defensive teams.

"We're disappointed this is the last game of the season, but we did a lot better than we thought we would. Nobody expected us to get this far," junior guard Lisa Griffith said.

"This is just a stepping stone for next year."

The Wildcats finished the season at 18-11, far greater than what most expected from the team in January.

Returning to the team next season will be seniors Monika Crank and Shontey Hambrick. Crank suffered a torn ACL and Hambrick had valley fever and were forced to sit out for the entire season.

Junior forward Tatum Brown, who was removed from the team in January because of academic problems, will return but will have only one season left of eligibility. She was a reliable player in the paint and should add much needed help to the Wildcats' rebounding.

Also joining the team will be Tysell Bozeman, who was ruled academically ineligible before the season began.