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Wildcats down Kent in first round

KNOXVILLE, TENN.-

With the UA women's basketball team's 73-61 first round defeat of Kent

Saturday, the Arizona players and coaches are finally able to alter

their

attention to what has been looming before them for over a week- a

chance at

knocking off six-time National Champion Tennessee.

The eighth-seeded Wildcats' defeat over the ninth-seed Golden Flashes

in

Thompson-Boling Arena was a bit of a rollercoaster ride. But in the

NCAA

Tournament, a team will take a win in whatever way they can get it,

especially if it leads to a match with the the Goliath of women's

basketball.

Displaying their eagerness for a date with the top-seeded Volunteers,

the

Wildcats blew open a 23 point lead with 13 minutes remaining in the

ballgame, but relented that attack. Kent responded with a 22-4 run,

lasting

10 minutes and placing the Golden Flashes within five points.

Just as Arizona was beginning to witness deja-vu of their game against

Oregon on March 4, where the Ducks dissolved a 22 point second half UA

lead

to win the game, senior guard Felecity Willis hit a 15-foot jumper to

re-invigorate the Wildcat offense.

UA notched the final seven points of the game, sealing the victory.

"We knew they were going to make a run on us and they did in the second

half," Bonvicini said. "We really hit a wall and didn't't't't get the

ball

into our posts at all. We felt as if we were playing three-on-five for

a

while in not utilizing our posts.

"Thank goodness Felecity Willis hit that jumper," Bonvicini said.

"You've

got to give Kent a lot of credit, they're smart and never backed down."

Up until Arizona relaxed, senior guard Lisa Griffith spearheaded the

Wildcat

offense with five three-pointers, including three to begin the second

half.

"I just felt good," she said. "When tournament time comes around,

you've got

to put it all on the line. I've been here before and you have to hit

your

shots if you want to win. My team did a great job getting me the ball."

Arizona forced 21 Kent turnovers, but what pleased Bonvicini even more

was

that UA was able to capitilize on the Golden Flashes' mistakes, as the

Wildcats tallied 27 points off of the turnovers.

"I think our defense so much creates our offense," she said. "We were

forcing them to take some contested shots and got some quick rebounds,

steals and were finishing really well."

Arizona was able to shut down Kent senior guard Dawn Zerman, the MAC

Player

of the Year, a task that UA coaches didn't expect to be simple.

"We ran a little bit of a 3-2 (defense) and she likes to drive a lot

and get

to the free throw line," Bonvicini said. "And I thought that (defense)

was

something that would help us take away her drive. And it did."

Led by junior center Julie Studer, the Golden Flashes' unrenowned post

play

kept Kent in the game.

"I was really concentrating on her because she was killing us inside,"

said

sophomore forward Elizabeth Pickney, who expected the majority of

Kent's

scoring to come from the perimeter.

Studer had a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds.

Griffith finished with 19 points, as Willis had 13, senior forwards

Tatum

Brown and Angela Lackey had 11 and 10 respectively.

Arizona only shot 39 percent from the field and were outrebounded

42-36, but

the Wildcats' effort from behind the three-point line made up for it.

Griffith and sophomore guard Julie Brase helped the Wildcats convert

7-of-12

three-pointers (58 percent).

"The first game is always so tough in the NCAAs," said Bonvicini, who

extended her NCAA Tournament first round record to 14-0. "So many times

in

the NCAA Tournament there are first game jitters, and that's very

normal.

But I am just very proud of our team in coming together at the end."