Entering the 2022-23 season, No. 19 Arizona had question marks surrounding the team with players from the previous season transferring out and losing starting center Lauren Ware to a season-ending injury.
Although the season opener isn't the best measuring stick when you dominated a team 113-56 like the Wildcats did against NAU on Thursday, but show the potential of something special in the low-post.
"I thought it was a fun game. Obviously winning is always fun, but I feel like we made a huge jump from the last two weeks," coach Adia Barnes said. "I thought that we got better. I think offensively we still have a lot of work to do. But I thought in the second quarter [we had] really solid defense. We really turn them over and we did some good things. And NAU is a really good team. I think they're really good [at] transition threes. At times, they made us pay for it. And I think our pressure really got to them, but I think this is a good test for us."
With Ware down, Barnes went with transfer forward Esmery Martinez in the starting lineup pairing her with forward Cate Reese. For Reese, it was her first game back after suffering a head injury in the team's final exhibition game during the first quarter. She was able to play 24 minutes and collected 10 points, eight rebounds and two blocks while on the floor.
"I thought she had some good drives to the basket. I think all the posts missed little chippies around the basket I thought she gave us really good minutes," Barnes said. "I thought she was also good on the board's almost a double-double. I think she played well. After being out for the few days she was like, out for like three or four days and back at 50%. Because after concussion protocol, you have to ease back in your note your non-contact, and then you're like 50% So that's kind of how it was all week."
However, the story of the night was Martinez in her first game as an Arizona player and posted a double-double in the first half of the game with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
That was only the tip of the iceberg for Martinez, who followed up the first half performance by ending the night with a team-high 20 points and racked up 15 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
"She has a really special knack for the ball. I remember I said this before she even started playing with us. She has quick hops and just a nose for the ball, and that's instincts," Barnes said about Martinez's rebounding ability. "That's not something that we taught, I wish they could take credit for it. It's just she's good at that. Some people are just a natural rebounder. She's good at that. She reads the room well, and just goes for it. And I don't think it's because she jumps out the gym. She's athletic, but I just think it's the her timing and her quick hops, and just the nose for the ball. So I think she's special in that sense."
One of the underrated parts of Martinez's game against NAU was her three assists where she was finding other teammates around the basket. In the game of basketball when you have bigs making the extra pass for an easy bucket, it helps the offense become more efficient and creates massive problems for the defense.
"It's really good. She's an unselfish player," Barnes said. "She doesn't take bad shots, and she had zero turnovers. I think she played a phenomenal game."
As a team, the Wildcats shot 53% from the field and went 8 of 14 from the 3-point line against the NAU defense. Arizona defensively held the Lumberjacks to 34% shooting from the field and forced them into 24 turnovers that led to 16 points for UA.
Arizona will play its next game against CSU Northridge on Sunday at 5 p.m. (MST) with the game being live streamed.
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