In a battle that paired two 5-1 record teams, the Arizona women’s basketball team didn’t have enough gas left to fend of the Nevada Wolf Pack, falling 79-75 in Reno, Nev., last night.
The Wildcats’ (5-2) failure to capitalize on easy opportunities allowed the Wolf Pack (6-1) to maintain control throughout the entire contest.
“”We have to give credit to Nevada,”” head coach Niya Butts said after the game. “”They came ready to play and unfortunately we didn’t. We didn’t run like we normally do, and we didn’t rebound like we normally do.””
The game started with a sloppy first half, with a combined 25 turnovers and mediocre shooting. Neither team looked like they were prepared to play a full contest.
Nevada had the advantage going into the locker room after the first half of play, leading 28-31.
The woes continued for the Wildcats as Nevada orchestrated a 19-8 run to start the half, leading 50-36 with 13:26 left on the clock.
Arizona was able to rally to a three-point deficit with 1:01 showing on the clock, but the Wildcats didn’t have enough left in the tank as the Wolf Pack secured the four-point victory when time ran out.
Despite the loss, Arizona anchor Ify Ibekwe led the charge for the ‘Cats, racking up a season high 29 points and hauling in 9 rebounds.
The Wildcats continue their long road trip at New Mexico on Tuesday and the team hopes to get over their shooting woes and regain some momentum.