Arizona head coach Adia Barnes can scratch another item off her list after Thursday night's matchup against No. 10 Oregon. For the first time in her tenure as head coach Barnes' team beat the Ducks in what ended up as an impressive wire-to-wire victory for the 11th-ranked Wildcats.
UA jumped out to an early 17-2 lead on the Ducks as the Wildcats (9-2, 7-2 Pac-12) dominated the game on both ends of the floor to open the night. Barnes received contributions from every member of her starting lineup as the balance helped generate the impressive double-digit lead.
Ultimately, the game would only get as close as eight points the rest of the way as UA's pressing defense combined with an off shooting night for the Ducks resulted in the Wildcats' first win over Oregon since March 3, 2016.
"We were ready to play," Barnes said of her team's performance coming off an overtime road loss on Sunday. "The last game at Washington State it really stung. We played a really good half there then the second half happened and we just kind of laid down. We let them take the game.
"... We were focused because Oregon's a really good team. Coach Graves is a great coach, the run difficult stuff, they have great shooters throughout the floor they really spread you out. We caught them on a night when they were a little bit cold. Got lucky today."
The Ducks (9-3, 7-3) had just 22 points at the half as they struggled to find any kind of success on offense as even shots close to the basket rimmed out often. The struggles on offense for Oregon combined with UA's energy in the big game helped it a much different type of game than the last 10 meetings that all went in favor of the Ducks.
"We know that Oregon is a great offensive team, so we knew that for us to even be in the game we had to come out strong and we were just clicking on all cylinders," UA senior guard Aari McDonald said. "Everybody was touching the ball so it felt great. I'm proud of my teammates."
Arizona has suffered double-digit losses in eight of the last 10 meetings with the Ducks since its last victory so being able to turn the tables was something that UA's players were certainly happy about Thursday night.
"It was just a great feeling," veteran forward Sam Thomas said. "It's a great statement win as well. We kinda got beat up against Stanford and then obviously this past weekend going into Washington State, so it's great to just come out here grab this win against Oregon and have a lead by 20 at some point in the game."
McDonald and Thomas were two key players for the Wildcats in Thursday's win over Oregon, but senior post player Trinity Baptiste also made a big impact with 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. As one of UA's newcomers it was the Virginia Tech transfer's first opportunity to play against the Ducks and she helped make a difference.
"We love having Trinity on our team," Thomas said. "She's a big body down there. She loves to battle, she loves getting the ball down there and all her moves. Her little step-backs. We love having her. We knew Oregon was pretty big down inside.
"They're a pretty big team, so we knew we had to battle in the post area. Trinity stepped up to the plate and she did a great job tonight."
UA will now look to build on its signature victory when it faces Oregon State on Sunday at McKale Center.
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