TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona (1-0) and Santa Clara (1-0) will face off in Tucson on Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. MST at McKale Center after both teams won their season openers in convincing fashion. The game will be live streamed on ArizonaWildcats.com.
 
Friday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m. MST
Live Stream: ArizonaWildcats.com
Radio: 1400 AM (Derrick Palmer)
Twitter: @ArizonaWBB
#MadeForIt
 
FROM THE TIP

• Arizona is back in action on Friday night vs. Santa Clara after walloping North Dakota by 32 points in the season-opener on Tuesday.
• The Wildcats received votes in both the AP and coaches poll and were tabbed as the No. 19 team in the country by ESPNw. Arizona hasn't been ranked since the 2004-05 season.
• Arizona enters the season as the reigning WNIT Champions and return eight players from last year's team while only losing two to graduation.
• The Wildcats welcome in seven newcomers, including six that were born outside of the United States.
• All-American Aari McDonald was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List, which recognizes the top shooting guard in the country, was named Preseason All-Pac-12 and was named to the Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 and the Wade Trophy Watch List.
• Cate Reese was named to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List, which recognizes the top power forward in the country. Reese scored a career-high 22 points on Tuesday.
• Arizona won 24 games last season, the most of any Arizona team in the last 15 years.
• The Wildcats had an 18-win turnaround last season, the largest in school history. It was also the second-largest of any Division I team since 2000.

History vs. Santa Clara
3/13/98: at Arizona 75, Santa Clara 63
12/12/91: at Arizona 61, Santa Clara 54
11/20/81: Santa Clara 60, Arizona 57
 
Another Year of Aari
All-American Aari McDonald had a tremendous season for the Arizona Wildcats last year, finishing the season as the nation's third-leading scorer and the Pac-12's leading scorer at 24.1 points per game. She comes into the 2019-20 season as the nation's top returning scorer and the new Arizona single-season scoring record holder. Below is a list of accomplishments McDonald achieved last season.

• Arizona single-season scoring record holder (890)
• AP and WBCA Honorable Mention All-American
• Became the first Wildcat since Davellyn Whyte (2012) to be named an All-American
• All-Pac-12
• Pac-12 All-Defense
• Three-Time Pac-12 Player of the Week
• Arizona Athletics Female Co-Sophomore of the Year
• Scored the fourth-most points in one season in Pac-12 history
• Tied the Arizona single-game scoring record in her second game as a Wildcat on Nov. 13, 2018
• Scored 34 points against Oregon in the Pac-12 Tournament, the most for an Arizona player
• Was the only player since 2000 with 800 points, 200 rebounds, 150 assists and 90 steals in one season
• Is one of two players in Pac-12 history with 800 points and 150 assists in one season (Kelsey Plum)

NCAA's Leading Returning Scorers
1. Aari McDonald (Arizona): 24.1
2. Chennedy Carter (Texas A&M): 23.3
3. Chelsea Dungee (Arkansas): 20.5
4. Nicole Cardand-Hillary (George Mason): 20.4
5. Jordan Sanders (UC Irvine): 20.3
 
Fewest Games to 800 Points All-Time (Pac-12 Players)
Kelsey Plum, Wash. ('16-'17) – 27
Chiney Ogwumike, Stan. ('13-'14) – 30
Kelsey Plum, Wash. ('15-'16) – 31
Aari McDonald, Ariz. ('18'19) – 33
 
National Recognition for Aari
McDonald has garnered a ton of preseason attention this season, as she was named preseason All-Pac-12 and was named to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List, Wooden Award Preseason Top 30 and the Wade Award Watch List.
 
Cate the Great
Cate Reese, who had one of the best freshman seasons in Arizona history, will look to take another step in her career after averaging 11.9 points and 6.7 rebounds per game last year. During the 2018-19 season, Reese was named Pac-12 All-Freshman and was a three-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, the first in Arizona history. She led all Pac-12 freshmen in scoring and rebounding and also had the most double-doubles of all Pac-12 freshmen. During Arizona's run to the WNIT Championship, Reese averaged over 14 points per game. Before this season started, she was named to the Katrina McClain Award Watch List, which recognizes the top power forward in the country.
 
Season Openers Are Good to Cate
Reese scored a career-high 22 points in the season-opener vs. North Dakota on Tuesday. Last season, she scored 21 points in the opener.
 
Sam I Am
Known as one of the best defenders on the team Sam Thomas was the only player in the Pac-12 to average at least 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. Throughout a game, you can find Thomas guarding the opposing team's point guard or center. Not only is she an incredible defender, she was also Arizona's third-leading scorer at 9.3 points per game and averaged double-figures in Pac-12 play. She became a threat from long distance last year, making 47 threes, the second-most on the team. On Tuesday, she was a perfect 4-4 from the field and made all three of her three-point attempts.
 
McBryde's Magic
Her numbers may not jump off the page, but Dominique McBryde proves day in and day out how important she is to Adia Barnes and the Arizona Wildcats. Considered the best post defender on the team, McBryde was third on the team just under five rebounds per game and pitched in 33 steals and 22 blocks last season while starting 35 games last season. McBryde will play her second and final year for the Wildcats this season after transferring from Purdue prior to the 2017-18 season.
 
Buenos Dias, Lucia
Senior guard Lucia Alonso was Adia Barnes' first recruit back when she took over the Arizona program for the 2016-17 season, and her senior season is now upon us. Alonso has played 2,779 minutes in her first three years for an average of just 30 a game and is on pace to play the fifth-most minutes in school history. Known as a knockdown three-point shooter, Alonso has the highest career three-point percentage in school history at 39.9%. She became the 10th player in school history to make 100 three-pointers in a career last season and is one away from being in a tie for ninth.
 
Most Made 3-Pointers in Arizona History
6. Julie Brase – 125 (118 games)
7. Natalie Jones – 117 (126 games)
8. Kama Griffits – 110 (56 games)
9. Monika Crank – 106 (118 games)
10. Lucia Alonso – 105 (94 games)
 
Tee Tee is Back
At the beginning of last season, Tee Tee Starks had made the decision that this would be her final year playing college basketball. On senior day, she announced that she will be returning for her final year of eligibility and will be a fifth-year senior for the 2019-20 season. It's no secret that Starks causes absolute havoc on the defensive end, and the numbers show it. In the 15 games against Pac-12 teams she played at least 10 minutes in last season, opponents averaged 64.5 points per game while shooting 40% from the field. In the five Pac-12 games she either missed or played fewer than 10 minutes, opponents averaged 74 points per game and shot 47% from the field.
 
Nice to Meet You Amari
Amari Carter decided to spend her fourth year of eligibility in Tucson after grad transferring from Penn State this past summer, and she will certainly play an important role for Barnes and the Wildcats. After only playing in one game during her freshman season due to injury, she went on to average over 10 points per game over her next three, including 14.2 per game during her junior season. She is 34 points away from 1,000 for her career and will also be a three-point threat for the Wildcats as she averages over one make per game.
 
We're Back
Arizona returns 95% of it's scoring from the 2018-19 season, which is the fourth-most of any power five team in the country.
 
Power Five Conference Returning Scoring
100% - Boston College
100% - Florida State
100% - Purdue
95.3% - Arizona
94.7% - Duke
94.4% - Texas A&M
 
We're Going Global
Of Arizona's seven newcomers to the team this season, six were born outside of the United States. This group joins Lucia Alonso to bring Arizona's total number of foreign players to seven.
 
Shaina Pellington – Canada
Tara Manumaleuga – Australia
Mara Mote – Latvia
Sevval Gul – Turkey
Helena Pueyo – Spain
Birna Benonysdottor – Iceland
 
International Experience
All six of Arizona's international newcomers have extensive experience playing overseas not just for their club, but for their country.
 
Shaina Pellington (Canada)

• National Team – Pan American Games
• U17 – World Championships
• U16 – FIBA Americas Tournament

Tara Manumaleuga (Australia/New Zealand)

• U17 – FIBA World Cup

Mara Mote – Latvia

• U19 – FIBA World Cup
• U17 – FIBA World Cup
• U16 – European Championships

Sevval Gul – Turkey

• U20 – European Championships
• U18 – European Championships
• U16 – European Championships

Helena Pueyo – Spain

• U19 – FIBA World Cup
• U18 – European Championships
• U17 – FIBA World Cup
• U16 – European Championships

Birna Benonysdottor – Iceland

• U20 – European Championships
• U18 – European Championships
• U16 – European Championships

A Turnaround for the Ages
After winning just six games during the 2017-18, the Wildcats won 24 games this in 2018-19, breaking the record for the largest turnaround from year to year in school history. Here is a look at the largest turnarounds from season to season in school history. It was also the second largest turnaround of any Division I team since 2000 and the largest for any Pac-12 team since 2000.
 
Largest Turnaronuds since 2000 (NCAA)
2009-10 -> 2010-11 McNeese State 19 wins
2000-01 -> 2001-02 Valparaiso – 19 wins
2017-18 -> 2018-19 Arizona – 18 wins
 
Largest Turnaronuds since 2000 (Pac-12)
2017-18 -> 2018-19 Arizona – 18 wins                         
2012-13 -> 2013-14 Oregon State – 14 wins                     
1999-00 -> 2000-01 Washington – 14 wins                        
2000-01 -> 2001-02 Stanford – 13 wins                         
2012-13 -> 2013-14 Oregon – 12 wins                            
2011-12 -> 2012-13 UCLA – 12 wins                             
 
Tucson Loves Their Cats
The WNIT run captivated the city of Tucson last spring as the average attendance for the six games was 7,600, capped off by a sellout crowd of 14,644 for the WNIT Championship on April 6, 2019, breaking the Pac-12 attendance record. Tuesday's game broke the program record for attendance at a home opener as 3,450 fans watched Arizona take down North Dakota.
 
Pac-12 Attendance Records
14,644 – Apr. 6, 2019 – Northwestern at Arizona
12, 364 – Feb. 15, 2019 – Oregon State at Oregon
12,320 – Jan. 23, 2011 – Oregon State at Oregon
10,818 – Dec. 22, 2018 – UConn at California
10,525 – Feb. 23, 2008 – Stanford at California
10,135 – Apr. 3, 2019 – TCU at Arizona
 
Barnes' Numbers vs. Santa Clara as a Player
In the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament, Adia Barnes scored 16 points in a 75-63 win over the Broncos.
 
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