Photos courtesy of Arizona Communication Services
(Tucson, AZ) – Troy Hutchison
The Wildcats opened up the game with a 10-4 running, which featured guards Lucia Alonso starting things off with two three pointers to get Arizona’s offense going.
The other side of the court was not as ready to start the game but strengthened as the quarter went on. The Wildcats ended the first quarter with a 31-16 lead over Incarnate Word. Even though the Wildcats were stellar offensively in the first quarter their defense gave up a field goal percentage of 53%.
Things started to change in the second quarter as Arizona turned up the defensive pressure and intensity, which helped Arizona extend their lead 41-21 before the Cardinals coach took a timeout with five minutes left in the half.
When Arizona put pressure on the Cardinals, they forced 10 turnovers that lead to easy shots. Both offenses would stall-out the remanding of the first half finishing the last five minutes with two points each. So, the Wildcats went into the locker-room leading 43-23 with Alonso leading the Cats in scoring with 14 points on 5-8 shooting from the field.
The start of the second half was rough for both teams, missing wide-open shots, turning the ball over, and really looking lost on the offensive end of the court. Eventually the Wildcats were able to get things going by creating turnovers and attacking the low-post which was all started with senior forward Tee Tee Starks getting not only the early steal but also getting everyone involved in the offense with two assists.
Arizona would close out the third quarter with a eight to four run to give the Wildcats the lead 61-31 going into the 4th quarter.
At the start of the game Arizona’s leading scorer Aari McDonald got off to a slow start going 3-8 from the field and drawing two fouls. Yet, as she usually does, she got stronger as the game went on. McDonald took control of the fourth quarter creating turnovers, leading the fast-break, and getting her teammates involved in the offense. It wasn’t an efficient night from the field for McDonald but, she found was to get to the line and end the game with 24 points which is seven points below her season average of 31.8 points a game.
Another bright spot in this game for Arizona was freshman Cate Reese who was 8-15 from the field with 19 points, 10 rebounds and a block shot. Arizona outscored Incarnate Word 23-11 in the fourth quarter in which the Wildcats would go on to win the game 84-42.
The Cats next opponent is on the road this weekend against the San Diego State Aztecs (4-2) on Sunday, Dec. 2nd at 2 p.m. MST.
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