Upset alert: Arizona WBB tops No. 3 Stanford in Maples Pavilion for first time in 20 years
In a game where Stanford was an 18.5-point favorite despite being without star forward and consensus top-3 upcoming WNBA draft pick Cameron Brink, it was Arizona who came out on top Friday night. While there has been a lot of news in the Arizona Athletics universe in the past week, Adia Barnes and her Wildcats said "Don't you forget about me" by making arguably the biggest statement since that magical month in San Antonio a few years ago.
Jada Williams tied her career high with 23 points, while Esmary Martinez finished with 17 points and nine rebounds to pace the Wildcats' boards. Arizona saw three players play nearly the entire game with Helena Pueyo leading the team with 39 minutes against the Cardinal. With just seven players available yet again for the Wildcats, the endurance and closing capability have been nothing short of impressive when it'd be understandable if this team had already started to fade as we head to the season's conclusion.
Barnes' biggest win since...
While Stanford was missing a game-changing star, that shouldn't diminish the magnitude of what the Wildcats achieved, and it safely became a top-two win in Adia Barnes' career. Now, a Top-10 win every year at least has become a hallmark of these Wildcats. The only game that matches the level of this one was the 2021 Final Four game against UConn. Although the matchup against the Huskies will remain the top win in Barnes' career, tonight's game comes in very narrowly behind that matchup.
Jada Williams breaks out
Jada Williams largely left no doubt that the Wildcats' backcourt is in great hands for the foreseeable future when she matched her season and career high in points. A strong all-around game against one of the nation's best and leading her Wildcats to the win put her in the national spotlight tonight.
There's no doubt that this will be one of many great performances in what hopefully becomes a very fruitful Wildcats career, but also one that could very well lead to an extended run of positive form as both she and the rest of the Wildcats look to finish the season strong.
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