The University of Arizona women’s basketball team (15-11, 6-7 in Big 12) returns home to play No. 11 TCU (23-3, 11-2 in Big 12) on Sunday, Feb. 16 in McKale Center at 2 p.m. The Wildcats look to bounce back after the 83-64 loss at Oklahoma State University on Feb. 12.
History vs. TCU
The first matchup between the programs was back in November 2006 with Arizona coming away victorious 59-56. Since then, the two programs have faced off twice and the Cats are 2-1 in the matchup history. The Wildcats won the last meeting 59-53 in April 2019 in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament Semifinals. Arizona would go on to win the WNIT Championship that year.
TCU Players to watch
The Horned Frogs are led by second-year head coach Mark Campbell. Before taking over at TCU, Campbell spent 3 years at Sacramento State University and led the team to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. The eight-time Big Sky conference champion coach led TCU to a 21-12 overall record in his first year, good enough to earn a postseason Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament berth for the first time in 5 years for the program.
The Horned Frogs come into Saturday’s duel with a big three led by Hailey Van Lith, who leads the team in assists and steals, dishing out 5.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Van Lith is also third in the Big 12 in minutes played, averaging 34.1 minutes on the court, which leads to her dropping 17.6 points per game and tying her teammate Sedona Prince for the team high.
Prince, the 6-foot-7 center, leads the team in rebounds and blocks, hauling in nine boards a game and swatting away conference-leading 3.2 blocks per game. In a win against Texas Tech University on Feb. 8, Prince finished with only 9 points but secured 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks on 66.7% shooting. Prince leads the Big 12 in blocks with 80.
Senior Madison Conner rounds out the trio, averaging 15.1 points per game while bringing in 4.2 rebounds a game and averaging just shy of four assists while shooting 45.6% from beyond the arc. Conner leads the conference in total attempts and made field goals from deep, converting a total of 93 3-pointers on the year while putting up 204 attempts so far.
TCU comes into Sunday’s matchup as the slowest-paced team in the conference, averaging 68.7 possessions a game, allowing the Horned Frogs to put up the most 3-point attempts in the Big 12, averaging 26.5 a game. Converting just shy of 10 3-pointers per game, TCU places third in the conference in 3-point percentage, averaging 37.2% per game.
The Horned Frogs not only are great offensively but also cause havoc defensively, leading the Big 12 in blocks averaging six rejections per game. With that in mind, look for TCU to slow the pace of the game down early and run their offense beyond the arc.
Wildcats to watch
Ninth-year head coach Adia Barnes leads the way for Arizona. The Wildcats have won their last three home conference games against the University of Cincinnati, No. 16 West Virginia University and ASU.
Jada Williams leads the team, averaging 12.5 points, three assists and almost two steals per game. In a win against ASU on Feb. 8, Williams secured 18 points, seven assists and two steals. Williams looks to have a big game as she only played seven minutes and did not score in the loss to Oklahoma State.
Transfer guard Paulina Paris has been under the radar all year. Paris averages 8.7 points, three rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while shooting just under 41.8% from the floor. In Arizona’s loss to Oklahoma State, Paris finished with 15 points and dished out five assists on 6-9 shooting.
Senior Isis Beh looks to continue her dominance in Sunday’s matchup. In her most recent game, she finished with a game-high 24 points on 11-13 shooting. Beh’s veteran leadership should help the Wildcats give the Horned Frogs problems on both ends of the floor.
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