Going for 3!
Tucson, AZ
By Kim Doss
As a season spent with a shortened bench and a young team winds down, Arizona coaches and players admit that it has taken a toll. Coach Adia Barnes and freshmen Sam Thomas and Marlee Kyles agreed that they have hit a wall. On Sunday afternoon, that wall came in the form of ASU, who came out on top of a 69-45 game at McKale Center.
Get back on defense!
The Sun Devils not only led in every statistical category, but also outscored the Wildcats in every quarter. Their dominance culminated in a 18-8 fourth period. While the gap in the first three quarters of the game ranged from three to six points, the Wildcats struggled to score and rebound in the final stanza, allowing the visitors to run away with the game.
With a strong fan contingent traveling to Tucson, ASU showed their supporters why they’re an established PAC-12 power. Barnes noted that the Wildcats are in the process of building the kind of program Charli Turner-Thorne has created over nearly 22 years in Tempe.
Thomas believes the Wildcats are already on their way towards that goal, with freshmen’s playing time this season allowing them to learn on the court. When next year’s vaunted recruiting class arrives, this year’s young players will be in a position to help the newcomers hit the ground running. In the opinion of Barnes, the incoming class will also allow the existing players to move to their more natural positions.
UA and ASU prepare to rebound
When asked about how it felt to lose to ASU considering her perfect record against them as a player, Barnes remarked that she had never lost this much as either a player or a coach, but the rivalry certainly made it sting a bit more. Her players remained upbeat, though, speaking of their desire to send their seniors out on a high note.
“We’re playing for our seniors now,” Kyles said. “Give it all you got. We’ve got nothing to lose.”
With regular season games left against Oregon and Oregon State, both ranked in the top 12, Barnes knows an upset will be difficult next weekend. She does hold out hope, though, pointing out Arizona’s history of at least one upset a year. If not against the highly-ranked Oregon schools, the Wildcats hope that high note can come in the PAC-12 Tournament.
