The Arizona women’s basketball team is a work in progress, and Sunday the No.13 Stanford Cardinal showed them just how far they have to go to be a threat in the Pac-12. The Cardinal dissected the Wildcats with 21 assists on 27 made field goals to route Arizona, 77-55, in McKale Center.
The Wildcats were once again game for the task of trying to upset the Cardinal, jumping out to a 21-20 lead at the end of the first quarter, much like the other night against Cal-Berkeley, on the back of a strong quarter from freshman point guard Lucia Alonso, who dropped nine points. The second quarter was fueled by a inefficient offense that saw the Wildcats score only five points in the period, making only one of nine shots.
“We weren’t focused on defense,” said freshman point guard Lucia Alonso. “We let 44 [Karlie Samuelson] get threes. We have to be more focused.”
The Cardinal executed on both ends, not only dominating from the outside by hitting 10 of 25 3-point shots, but also outrebounding Arizona 43-25 in the game.
“The concern about the rebounds is a huge concern,” said Arizona head coach Adia Barnes. “That is something we are going to have to key in on because we are going to be undersized every game.”
16 of those rebounds came courtesy of senior Erica McCall, who outworked the Wildcats and secured another double-double on the season with 19 points as well.
“She is having a great senior year,” said Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer. “She is really the heart and soul of our team. She loves to play basketball, she plays really hard and with Karlie [Samuelson], our senior leadership is outstanding.”
Arizona struggled from the field, especially in the second half, connecting on 11-33 attempts and missing four of eight free throws. Malena Washington had a chance to rally the team in the third quarter, but missed the free throw on a bonus opportunity.
Stanford forward Karlie Samuelson connected on a three to turn the momentum back in the Cardinal direction and subsequently the game, according to Barnes.
“They are coached by one of the best coaches in the world,” Barnes said. “They all do their roles, Tara’s [VanDerveer] system is made to exploit someone’s strengths. I didn’t expect anything less.”
The loss drops the Wildcats to 9-4 on the season and 0-2 in Pac-12 Conference play. Arizona will look to rebound from this opening weekend of play by going on the road to Colorado and Utah this weekend.
“I am confident in this team,” Barnes said. “We’re going to continue to get better and that is what is important to me. We have to take it one game at a time. Finding a way to get that victory after a tough loss shows our character.”
