TUCSON, Ariz. – The Arizona Wildcats are set to host the Pacific Tigers for a Saturday matinee this weekend.
The Wildcats enter Saturday’s matchup with a 5-1 record and a 3-0 mark at home. The Cats have a four-game winning streak at McKale Center dating back to last season and will look to stay perfect at home on Saturday.
“We’ve defended OK at home, but we have to do a better job of knocking down free throws and taking care of the basketball,” coach Niya Butts said. “I think anytime you get an opportunity to play at home, it’s very, very important to do those things right and make sure we don’t leave any points on the board. The last couple of games, we’ve ended with the win, which I’m happy about, but we have to knock down those free throws and be smart with the ball because those things can come back to haunt you.”
Pacific enters Saturday’s matchup with a 4-3 record and possesses a win over North Carolina. The Wildcats have won three in a row since their lone setback this season at San Diego on Nov. 21.
Game time is set for 1 p.m.
Career Bests
Juniors Malena Washington and Dejza James enter the matchup with Pacific coming off some career performances. Washington scored a career-high 17 points in 27 minutes. The junior had 12 points in the second half to help the Wildcats erase a 16-point first half deficit. Washington was 6-14 from the field and 4-5 from the free throw line. She also had three assists in the win and leads the team on the season with 15. James helped the Wildcats stay close in the first half and finished with a career-high 13 rebounds. She pulled down 11 in the first half and controlled the glass and helped the Wildcats post a 39-29 advantage in rebounding.James also had seven points and is now averaging a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. Washington’s previous career high in points was 17. James’ best mark in rebounding was 11.
It’s A Bench Party
The Wildcats have gotten some significant contributions from its bench early this season. Through six games, Arizona is outscoring its opponent’s bench 161-68 for a +93 scoring margin. The bench has scored at least 16 points in each game this season and has posted a +13 scoring margin in each of the last five games. The Wildcats bench has scored more than 30 points twice this season, once against Kansas and then last game against New Mexico StatetMalena Washington is leading the bench crew, averaging 11.5 points per game. Dejza James has also been solid off the bench, averaging 5.3 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game. Michal Miller, Lauren Evans, Farrin Bell and Destiny Graham have also been productive coming off the bench for the Wildcats. Evans is the team leader in steals. The team accounted for a 32-13 edge in bench scoring last game against the Aggies.
Taryn it Up
Redshirt freshman point guard Taryn Griffey, the daughter of 13-time Major League Baseball All-Star Ken Griffey Jr., is off to a hot start in her career after sitting out last season with a knee injury. Griffey is averaging 1.07 points per game to rank 30th in the league. But the point guard from Seattle is doing most of her damage from beyond the 3-point line. Griffey has hit 14 of 26 3-pointers this season for a .538 shooting percentage. She ranks second in the league with that mark and is one of only five players in the Pac-12 who is shooting better than .500 from long range this season. She’s seventh in the league in 3-point field goals made per game at 2.3.
Top 3-point shooters in Pac-12
Kat Cooper, Oregon: 11-20 (.550)
Taryn Griffey, Arizona: 14-26 (.538)
Lexi Bando, Oregon: 17-32 (.531)
Jordan Adams, USC: 9-17 (.529)
Briana Roberson, Stanford: 14-27 (.519)
Comeback Cats
In four of Arizona’s five wins this season, the Wildcats have trailed by more than five points and have come back to win. Twice -- against North Texas and New Mexico State, the Cats have trailed by double digits and come back to win. Against UNT, the Wildcats overcame an 11-point deficit in the first half to post a seven-point win, 51-44. One game later against New Mexico State, the Wildcats fell behind New Mexico State by 16 in the first half at 23-7. Against Toledo and Kansas, Arizona trailed by six in each game before coming back. The only win this year the Wildcats haven’t been behind is the 65-28 win over Howard last month.
Shoot That 3, Hit That 3
Through six games this season, Arizona has proven it has plenty of shooters who can hit from deep. The Wildcats are 35-73 from 3-point range this season (a .479 shooting percentage), which leads the country. On top of the sharpshooting from Taryn Griffey and Malena Washington, Arizona has gotten solid contributions from other spots as well. Freshman Michal Miller and sophomore JaLea Bennett are both six of 10. Bennett showed off her ability from long range against North Texas, hitting all three of her attempts from behind the line. Dejza James and Keyahndra Cannon have all also connected from three-point range this young season. Arizona’s strong showing from deep comes one season after shooting .241 from three last season.
Top 3-point shooting teams
Arizona; .479 (35-73)
Canisius; .427 (41-96)
Oregon; .425 (51-120)
Kentucky; .415 (49-118)
Notre Dame; .412 (40-97)
Oakland; .410 (59-144)
Michigan; .405 (53-131)
Texas A&M; .400 (24-60)
Oregon State; .398 (45-113)
Stanford; .398 (66-166)
Dominant Defense
The Wildcats enter Saturday’s matchup with Pacific as one of the top scoring defense teams in the country and Pac-12. The Wildcats allowed just four points in the third quarter against North Texas and held the Mean Green without a field goal for more than five minutes. UNT shot 36.4 percent from the floor and 25 percent from 3-point distance. The second half performance, which lifted the Wildcats to a victory was a continuation of Arizona’s strong defense all season. Through six games, the Wildcats are 10th in the country in scoring defense, allowing just 51.0 points per game. New Mexico State put up 64 points against the Wildcats last time out, which marked the first time a team surpassed 60 points in a game against the Wildcats. Teams are shooting just .349 from the field against the Wildcats and .274 from 3-point distance.
Pac-12 Team Scoring Defense Leaders
1. Arizona; 51.0
2. USC; 52.0
3. Oregon State; 52.5
4. Arizona State; 56.2
5. Stanford; 59.0
Scouting Pacific
The Tigers come to down coming off a 68-60 loss to Long Beach State on Wednesday and sit at 4-3 on the season. The game against Long Beach State marked Pacific’s first home game of the season. The Tigers have wins over Cal-State Bakersfield, UC-Davis, North Carolina and Gardner-Webb. Their losses have come to Montana, Utah State and Long Beach. Hailie Eackles leads the team in scoring at 16.3 points per game. GeAnna Luaulu-Summers, a sophomore guard from San Francisco, is averaging 13.9 points per game and 6.1 rebounds a contest. Erin Butler, who began her career at Arizona before transferring west, is averaging 10 points per game and six rebounds. Arizona coach Niya Butts said the Tigers are dangerous from 3-point distance and aggressive with their looks from their. Through seven games, Pacific has taken 177 3-pointers on the season. In comparison, Arizona, the top 3-point shooting team in the country by percentage, has taken just 73 in six games.
Inside The Series
A look at the three all-time games in the Pacific-Arizona series:
11/21/81: Pacific 83, Arizona 70
12/20/81: Arizona 60, Pacific 52
1/4/84: Pacific 84, Arizona 79
11/23/13: Pacific 75, Arizona 66
