In battle of Top 10 teams in Tucson on Friday night, it was No. 7 Arizona Women’s Basketball who prevailed, coming away with the win over No. 9 UCLA.
In a game that found the Arizona Women’s Basketball team unable to find consistency at the start at either end of the court, they finally found their footing in the second half, en route to knocking off the UCLA Bruins 68-65 at the McKale Center on Friday evening.
Unable to control the interior on defense, the Bruins were able to exploit the paint with relative ease against the Wildcats early. Luckily Arizona was able to jump out to a small, three-point lead late in the first quarter.
Arizona Wildcats
However, it was UCLA who largely controlled the first half, led by Charisma Osborne who paced the Bruins with 10 points, and Michaela Onyenwere who chipped in 7 points and 7 rebounds.
The Bruins were able to jump out to an 11-point lead midway through the second quarter before the Wildcats were able to close strong, cutting the Bruins’ lead to six at the half. Led by incoming transfer Trinity Baptiste, she paced the Wildcats in the first half, totaling 11 points and seven rebounds.
In the second half, it was the complete opposite for Arizona. Coming out, the Wildcats really turned the tides, slowly chipping away at the Bruins’ lead, before a 9-0 run allowed Arizona to retake the lead with 3:09 remaining.
Led in large part due to their defensive effort, the Wildcats held UCLA without a field goal for over nine minutes of the quarter.
Leading 48-44 entering the fourth quarter, the Wildcats were able to settle into their game and show just why they are the 7th ranked team in the country.
Extending their lead to eight, with about 48 seconds remaining. Luckily Arizona was able to hold off the Bruins’ late charge, and it was Arizona’s ability to control the second half. Thanks in large part to Aari McDonald, she showed just how versatile she is, finishing the game 17 points, five assists and four rebounds for the game.
Game Notes:
- Wildcats shot 17 percent from three-point range in the first half, going 2-12.
- Arizona was able to close the game in the 2nd quarter thanks in part to shooting 50 percent rom the field.
- Arizona held UCLA without an FG on 0-15 shooting the last 9:01 of the 3rd Quarter.
- Trinity Baptiste led all players with 18 points and had a team high 11 rebounds.
- Arizona shot just 24 percent (6-25) from 3-point range, and 59 percent (10-17) from the Free Throw line.
Listen to head coach Adia Barnes and her team following the teams’ win.
This was a great start to conference play for the Wildcats, and we are excited to see how they continue to play this season. As always, Bear Down, Arizona and let’s get ready for a busy Saturday for the Wildcats!