Arizona women's hoops at Utah: Freshmen developing fast, Mountain schools

She said it

Arizona coach Adia Barnes on Utah: “They have a lot of success there but they also have a high-octane offense that runs and it's pretty athletic, and they're a really good team. I think they lost some games because (Kennady) McQueen was out, and she’s a vital part of their team. But they are really good. They move the ball really fast. They are hard to guard. They make you pay for mistakes. Their actions are really tough to guard, they kind of picked us apart in Tucson. We had a hard time scoring against them. We have to make some tweaks. We have to get better at some things and play a lot better to have a chance to win there. …

“Their guards are really good and move well. They move well without the ball; they read. They have great cohesiveness and chemistry. That’s why it’s hard to play against teams with fifth-year seniors because they’ve been playing together for a long time and you could tell with the way their offensive flows. We have to cut the timing and spacing on things and we’ve got to be able to shoot the ball well.”

On the sidelines

Responding: UA's win over then-No. 16 West Virginia was a confidence booster.

Not only did the Wildcats put together most likely the best game of the season against a ranked competitor, but they did it without Lauryn Swann.

“I did have a concern, knowing we’re going to be zone-pressed, knowing we’re going to face the zone and not having our best shooter who is shooting the ball really well right now,” Barnes said. “That was a concern. It was like ‘oooh, how are we …?’ Especially when they came out in the zone. It was like, this could be a long night. But we shot the ball well. Jada (Williams), Paulina (Paris), Mailien (Rolf), the whole team stepped up and we ran some pretty good offense. I was happy with the way we responded.”

With Swann back from her concussion that she suffered at the end of the first half against Cincinnati, the focus is on getting her back with confidence and feeling good.

Always developing: Barnes trusts in her process of developing players. She’s seen it work throughout her tenure at the helm of Arizona’s program.

Not only does she see the growth in her players year over year, but also month to month and game by game as the season progresses.

“Sometimes it’s not at the pace that they want or we want,” Barnes said. “Sometimes it takes time because they all want immediate gratification, but if they stick with the process, they will get better.”

Rolf and Swann, both freshmen, have taken big leaps in their development in the midst of the season.

Rolf has gone from turning the ball over a lot in the beginning to understanding the game and the Arizona system.

“She’s made that adjustment and most players it takes over a year to do that,” Barnes said. “She’s been playing a lot of minutes. She’s been in and out of a starting role. I think she understand that importance. I think that’s given her confidence.”

Swann has been in and out of the lineup, first with a sore shoulder and then with the concussion. Still, she keeps finding her shot and showing gains on the defensive end, as well.

“That’s part of the process and learning how to deal with that,” Barnes said. “That’s a journey and I think that makes her better for later and getting her just a little bit more resilient and tougher. …

“She can be really special and I think she can be a really good defensive player, too. Most shooters have always just been shooters. They haven’t taken pride in their defense. … I think you’re just going to see her get better and better and better.”

Pro Cats: Catching up with former Wildcats around the world, in Helena Pueyo’s most recent game for Casademont Zaragoza against USK Praha in the Euro League, she scored 17 points (4 of 7) and 3 of 6 from long range, four rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Esmery Martinez put up a double-double (16 points, 14 rebounds) in Charleville-Mezieres' 76-71 win over Roche. She added three steals and four assists.

Jade Loville signed with Liaoning in China. Most recently, she was playing in Greece, averaging 16.8 points per game and shooting 41.7% from 3-point range.

A look back: Under Barnes’ tenure, the Wildcats are 3-3 playing Utah in Salt Lake City. Barnes won her first game in the Huntsman Center in 2017, 81-70, behind 24 points from LaBrittney Jones. Jones added three blocks, two assists and seven rebounds. Three other Wildcats scored in double figures: Destiny Graham and Malena Washington both had 11 points and Bre Workman chipped in 10. Washington also dished five assists.

Mountain schools: This year, with the move to the Big 12, something that looks the same is a little bit different at the same time. And that’s the trip to the mountain schools — Utah and Colorado. In the Pac-12, Arizona would play at the two schools over a weekend, Friday-Sunday with one day in between to travel to another state and prepare for the next matchup.

This time out, the Wildcats are playing at Utah on Friday night, then come home for a few days and head out to Boulder to play Colorado on Wednesday.

It's never been an easy trip with the way both teams play at home and the altitude.

“I’m telling you, in the Pac-12, every single coach that had Utah and Colorado scheduled, they were (not happy),” Barnes said. “…. This is way easier in the Big 12. It’s way better for recovery and it’s because Friday-Sunday was brutal. Now, at least you get to come home in between. We have more time, so it’s a lot easier in that sense. I think it’s better for our student-athletes.”

By the numbers

6: Utah’s Gianna Kneepkens knocked down a season-high six 3-pointers in both games last week, putting up 32 points against BYU and 30 against Kansas, to earn Big 12 Player of the Week honors.

18.7: Utah averages 18.7 assists per game.

3.4: Arizona is averaging 3.4 blocks per game.