Wildcats roll to 1st 11-0 start since ’95-96
Nine days is a long time between games.
So it would be reasonable to think that the Arizona Wildcats would be rusty.
Throw in finals and the start of Christmas break, and Saturday’s game against UC Santa Barbara (4-8) could have been a trap.
Instead, it was 18th-ranked Arizona that did the trapping. Bolstered by a swarming defense and second-quarter run, the Wildcats beat the Gauchos 61-42 in front of 4,498 fans.
It was a milestone game: Arizona finishes non-conference play 11-0, the first time since the 1995-96 season that Arizona has won all its non-league games. The Wildcats have won 13 straight at home, and carry a 17-game winning streak dating back to last season — the longest in the country.
“I don’t think we went on vacation mode in the first half,” said star guard Aari McDonald, who finished with 21 points. “I just think that we haven’t played in a week. So that kind of like caught up to us. We were fatigued — like we look gassed during the game. … We settled in and we just picked it up and it started with our defense.”
McDonald led all scorers with 15 points in that first half, hitting all three of Arizona’s 3-pointers, and added six in the second half. She finished with seven rebounds, seven assists and one steal.
Sam Thomas was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 11 points. Semaj Smith had two blocks, six rebounds and nine points.
Arizona had 12 steals — three from Thomas, three from Amari Carter, two from Cate Reese and one apiece from McDonald, Smith, Helena Pueyo and Sevval Gul.
It was the defense that helped the Wildcats pull away. Arizona led 14-11 after the first quarter, and spent the first few minutes of the second quarter going back and forth. Then the defense took off: A steal by Thomas, one of her three in the first half, got the Wildcats rolling.
Using full-court pressure to create steals and transition baskets, the Wildcats began to put UCSB away.
“I think in the second quarter we just washed away the first quarter, tried to really get our defensive stops to then lead to our offense — which I think we did a really good job,” Thomas said. “Amari and Aari top of the press really good job of getting those steals.”
McDonald drew a foul driving to the basket and made both free throws to tie the game at 23 apiece.
Next possession, the Wildcats forced a shot clock violation, followed by another steal by Carter. McDonald was sent to the free throw line and made both to give Arizona the 25-23 lead, one they would never relinquish.
Then came the full-court pressure. Pueyo picked a steal near her own basket which led to a Thomas mid-range jumper.
Arizona led 29-23 at the half, and scored the first seven points in the third quarter.
McDonald stole the ball and finished with a layup, Smith hit a 3-pointer from the corner and Thomas scored inside as Arizona took a 36-25 lead.
Following the game, and before heading home for the holidays, the Wildcats celebrated. Many of Arizona’s players emerged from the locker room flecked with confetti.
The Wildcats won’t play again until Dec. 29, when they travel to Tempe to face Arizona State in their Pac-12 opener. ASU won Friday to improve to 10-2.
“We celebrate today, we forget tomorrow. And then we go to Pac-12 (play),” coach Adia Barnes said. “We’re playing some really good teams off the bat. I’m hoping (the winning streak) gives us momentum, and just ignites us and makes us excited, kind of like the WNIT did for us at the beginning of this year. I hope this 11-0 gives us confidence, that confidence going in the conference. It means a lot.”