The Arizona women’s basketball team faced Washington State University on Friday, Feb. 16, and the University of Washington on Sunday, Feb. 18, in McKale Center. The Wildcats took down both teams and protected their home court.
The Wildcats defeated Washington State 64-45 and Washington 90-82. Arizona (14-12, 6-8 in Pac-12) has now positioned itself for a chance to continue playing come March.
Arizona vs. Washington State
The starting lineup for this matchup was Jada Williams, Breya Cunningham, Helena Pueyo, Isis Beh and Skyler Jones. The Wildcats returned to McKale this weekend, looking to bounce back after their most recent loss to No. 10 USC. Unfortunately, Esmery Martinez got injured in the last game and remained on the bench, giving Arizona only seven available players. The scoring began quickly, with Arizona taking the early lead. The Cougars did not back down trying to find answers for everything the Wildcats threw at them.
Washington State turned over the ball 10 times and scored 26 points in the paint. Meanwhile, Arizona dominated the game, scoring 40 points in the paint and causing 17 turnovers. Pueyo and Jones contributed significantly to this game. Pueyo had 18 points, five steals, four rebounds and two assists. Three Wildcats scored in double digits, including Pueyo.
With a season-high 11 points, Isis Beh joined Jones and Pueyo in double figures. Beh scored her first three-pointer as a Wildcat and grabbed four rebounds. Jones almost recorded a double-double, scoring 12 points, pulling down eight rebounds, two assists and one block. Pueyo is now five steals away from earning a place in the Pac-12 lifetime steals record book.
The Wildcats got the victory they were looking for after already losing to Washington State earlier in the season. Arizona defeated the Cougars 64-45.
Arizona vs. Washington
In this matchup, the lineup looked a little different, as Martinez was now available. The Wildcats went on a 14-0 run right at the beginning of the game, setting the tone for this matchup. The first half began heavily in Arizona’s favor, but the Huskies began to rally back as Washington started to get into a rhythm. Washington slowly started to pick up the pace as they went into halftime only down by seven points. UW accelerated and went on a scoring run in the second quarter, scoring 24 points and shooting 83.3%.
Arizona caused 19 turnovers and scored 48 points in the paint. Five out of the eight players available were in foul trouble. Beh made 10-of-11 shots for a career-high 29 points. Beh’s field goal percentage of 90.9% is tied for the second-best in program history for a single game. Pueyo also had 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Through the first two overtimes, the teams were tied at 77 points apiece, but in the third extra session, it was all Wildcats. Arizona responded with a 13-0 run that would win them the game. Pueyo moved into the top 10 in Pac-12 career steals history with 280 after recording two steals on the day.
Head coach Adia Barnes said, “We found a way to get the job done” as her team was dealing with foul trouble and injuries.
The Wildcats won this game 90-82 after losing to Washington earlier this season as well.
Looking ahead:
Arizona’s next two games are against Stanford University on Friday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m. in Maples Pavilion and the University of California, Berkeley on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. in Haas Pavilion.
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