Lackey burns Sun Devils

Nicholas Valenzuela Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior forward Angie Lackey (34) drives to the basket during a game earlier this season at McKale Center. Lackey had five rebounds and 18 points in Saturday's 70-61 victory over ASU, bringing the Wildcats' record to 7-7 overall and 2-3 in conference play.

Lackey brought down five rebounds and racked up 18 points in Saturday's 70-61 victory over ASU (7-7 overall, 1-4 Pacific 10 Conference), bringing the Wildcats' record to 7-7 and 2-3 in conference play.

"I just stepped up my game," Lackey said. "I was coming off a good week of practice and I just put everything I learned new into the game. And being a rival (ASU), I just had to take it to them a little harder."

And that Lackey did, with the newest twist of her playing attributed to the fact she started the game, rather than enter the contest off the bench, as she had done for most of this season.

"I'm not used to coming off the bench," Lackey said of her past seasons' play as a full-time starter at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas. "But it has taught me to just come right in and play and get my focus. You have no time to get adjusted to the rhythm of it all; you have to go right out from the minute you get in the game."

UA head coach Joan Bonvicini said although the change from a JC to the UA was a big one to Lackey's accustomed lifestyle, she has handled it well.

"Number one, the academics are more demanding," Bonvicini said of the transition. "And in basketball, it's bigger and quicker play.

"You can't let down. At the JC level you can turn off and on your playing style, but that doesn't stand at this level."

And as far as the transition from starting to being a reserve, Bonvicini seems just as pleased with Lackey's transition performances there.

"When Angie plays well, we win," Bonvicini said. "She is a big factor in our success."

Junior guard Felecity Willis shared in the pride of her teammate Lackey.

"She's a great player with great ability," Willis said.

Lackey transferred this year from Kansas with the athletic range to play both the power and/or small forward.

"The UA program had a nice atmosphere," Lackey said. "I also liked how the women players received just as much respect as the men."

She also added what a big step up it was to enter the Division I way of life.

"It's the same as coming out of high school," Willis said. "And she handled the transition very well."

Lackey, though, may have composed herself very well to her teammates, but she does remember her first steps in her giant leap from home in Louisville, Ky. to playing in Kansas.

"I had kind of a shaky start," she said. "And as far as the team, we had new people and we had to adjust and learn the roles in being a team.

"But now everyone knows what to do to win."

To pull off the win tonight against No. 25-ranked Oregon at home, Bonvicini will be looking to Lackey for the same skills she exhibited on Saturday.

"I need Angie to be getting to the line," Bonvicini said. "With ASU, when she scored she was also on the line because she was fouled."

Lackey will have the chance to fulfill her coach's hopes for her right from the tip-off at 7 p.m., as a projected starter at forward tonight.