UA routs Rutgers; ASU beats Fordham
ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands — Cate Reese scored 16 points and No. 9 Arizona cruised to an 80-44 victory over Rutgers on Saturday, the final day of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.
Gisela Sanchez added 15 points and Aaronette Vonleh had 12 points, both off the bench, for the Wildcats (6-0). Arizona led by as many as 42 points and won the tournament's Island Division title.
Osh Brown had nine points and Shug Dickson scored eight points for the Scarlet Knights (4-4), who had won three Paradise Jam titles but went 0-3 in their fourth appearance.
Arizona put Rutgers away early. After taking a 12-2 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Wildcats shot 68.4% from the field (13 for 19, including 3 of 6 on 3pointers) and outscored Rutgers 34-6 in the second period for a 46-8 halftime lead.
Even with its starters on the bench most of the second half, Arizona continued to increase its lead. The Wildcats built their biggest advantage, 58-16, on Vonleh’s put-back with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter.
After tough wins over Vanderbilt and DePaul at the Paradise Jam, the Wildcats
finally put together a performance indicative of a Top 10 team. Coach Adia Barnes also got her reserves plenty of playing time — something that could pay dividends once their Pac-12 season begins.
With its game against CaliforniaRiverside on Friday canceled because of COVID-19 issues, the Wildcats won’t play again until Dec. 9, hosting North Dakota State.
ASU leaves Cancun with win
Jaddan Simmons scored 16 points and Mael Giles added six points and 11 rebounds, as ASU women's basketball picked up a 58-43 win over Fordham Saturday in Cancun, Mexico.
Seniors Jade Loville and Taya Hanson respectively added 15 and 10 points for ASU.
It was the first win for the Sun Devils in the Cancun Challenge, finishing 1-2 after prior losses to Houston and Baylor.
ASU improved to 3-4 on the season. Next up for the Devils will be as hosts of the ASU classic. They open against Texas-San Antonio at 1 p.m. Saturday.