The Arizona women’s basketball team will try to break free from a six-game slide tonight when it faces Colorado in Boulder, Colo.
In the teams’ first meeting as Pac-12 opponents, the Wildcats were unable to pull out a close victory, falling 56-54, thanks in part to 20 turnovers and a poor shooting night from floor general Shanita Arnold and leading scorer Davellyn Whyte, who combined to score just 12 points and had 11 turnovers.
“It’s always difficult when you lose games, but I think the way our team responded, especially over this last weekend shows that we still have fight in us,” head coach Niya Butts said. “We’re just looking forward to another opportunity on the court on Thursday, one game at a time.”
Tonight’s game marks the first time the Wildcats will travel to Colorado since its addition to the conference, and despite the previous loss still fresh in their minds, Butts says it will not affect them.
“Anytime you get into conference play, anything can happen,” Butts said. “If you look at what’s going on in the conference right now, and what can be a positive weekend for us this upcoming weekend, two wins and we’re right back in the middle of the pack.”
If Arizona (13-10, 2-9 Pac-12) is to pull out of the streak that has dragged ir to the bottom of the conference, it will need leadership from its most important player. Whyte has struggled as of late, even posting a goose egg in the scoring column against Stanford on Saturday, with just one rebound to go along with four turnovers in a season-low 14 minutes of play.
“We have been losing a lot lately, but we just know that these games count,” guard Candice Warthen said. “We just try to move ahead and stay positive. It’s going to be hard, being that it’s on the road, but we just stay positive and have confidence in ourselves.”
If Arizona can sweep the competition this week, the team would be right back in the thick of things. But before anyone can talk about that, the Wildcats have to take down Colorado on the road.
“Everyone is beating up on everyone,” Butts said. “It’s time for us to hit first, and get back into the mix, and I think that’s very doable. One game at a time.”
