(Tucson, AZ)
Bill McCulloch
Less than forty eight hours from their first PAC-12 win, Arizona wanted to make a statement at home against the Utah Utes. This was the second go around for these two teams this season.
Even though the crowd was smaller than Friday night because of NFL Championship Games there was a buzz around McKale. A very recognizable name was in the house. Diana Taurasi, the WNBA’s all time leading scorer from the Phoenix Mercury came down to watch the game.
This game would test the young and smaller Cats. Utah came in with three players over 6’3”. Arizona’s tallest player is 6’1”. As Coach Adia Barnes has said all season, “you have to pick your poison.”
The Cats came out in a two-three zone defense and packed the paint to stop the higher percentage baskets and make Utah beat them with perimeter shots. In their first meeting December 29th in Salt Lake City, the Utes got off to an 18-2 fast start and had fifty points inside.
Utah starts the game like they were shot out of a cannon. They shot a sizzling sixty three percent from the field and hit five three pointers to put the Wildcats on their heels and the feeling of “what just hit us?”
Zona hit just thirty five percent of their shots and just one three pointer that led to a 24-12 first quarter deficit. JaLea Bennett has just four points in the opening quarter. Once again, the Cats had dug themselves a hole.
In the second quarter, neither team had much success scoring as both squads locked each other down defensively.
Two three pointers from Lucia Alonso and Marlee Kyles, two layups by Bennett and four free throws were all Arizona could muster.
Utah didn’t fare any better. Four field goals, a three pointer and three free throws. Halftime score 38-26 for the Lady Utes.
The third quarter has been the Achilles heel for Arizona all season and today was no different. The Cats still out of sync offensively with no ball movement and no off ball motion only scored fourteen points as the Utes hit four three pointers and controlled the glass to make the hole deeper for outmanned Arizona and a twenty one point lead going into the final stanza.
Other than two three point back to back threes from Alonso, the rest of the scoring came from ten free throws.
Utah totally dominated this contest from beginning to end. The Cats had no answer today. They packed the paint, Utah was relentless from the perimeter with eleven trifectas. Arizona would extend their defense and the Utes would go down low to score twenty six points.
After gaining a split at home, the Wildcats will travel to the Bay Area next weekend to play the Cal Golden Bears on Friday, followed by the Stanford Cardinal next Sunday.
