No. 11 Arizona ended its series losing streak to Oregon at 10 games in a 57-41 win against the No. 10 Ducks on Thursday night. Here are five keys on how the Wildcats got the job done.
COLD SHOOTING FOR THE DUCKS IN THE FIRST QUARTER
Arizona had a strong start in the first quarter, taking off on a 17-2 burst. The Wildcats held Oregon to 2-for-12 shooting in the quarter. After Jaz Shelley made a jumper at 8:11 remaining in the quarter, Oregon didn't make a bucket again until Sydney Parrish knocked down a 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining. Meanwhile, Arizona went 8-for-16 from the floor in the opening quarter to take a 22-7 lead.
DUCKS PLAGUED BY TURNOVERS
In the first quarter alone, the Ducks turned the ball over six times compared to Arizona maintaining a flawless quarter in the turnover column. Oregon's turnover woes didn't end there, finishing with 23. This ultimately led to points in transition. Arizona took advantage of the Ducks' mistakes by converting their turnovers into 26 points.
ARIZONA BROUGHT THE PRESSURE ON DEFENSE
Arizona ran a full court man-to-man press and stayed in man-to-man in the half court to maintain constant pressure the entire game. The Wildcats did a phenomenal job trapping and beating Oregon to the open spot while swiping away 14 steals. The 2020 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, Aari McDonald, had four of those steals.
THE WILDCATS PRODUCED BALANCED SCORING
Three Wildcats scored in double-digit points against the Ducks: Aari McDonald (16 points), Trinity Baptiste (14) and Sam Thomas (10). Though Arizona shot only 35 percent for the game, the Wildcats had 16 foul shots — with Thomas and Baptiste combining to go 10-for-11 on foul shots.
AARI MCDONALD… THAT’S IT.
The All-American guard filled the stat sheet and lead the Wildcats with 16 points, four steals and two assists. McDonald did a great job going coast-to-coast and finding open holes in the Ducks' defense to attack the basket. This marks the 77th straight game that McDonald has scored in double figures. That is the longest active streak in the nation.
The @AariMcdonald special.
— Arizona Women's Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) January 15, 2021
📺 @espn pic.twitter.com/AD0Aa5cYFG
HISTORY: Champions | Relive Baylor's 2019 title
STORE: Shop latest college basketball gear
