After nearly two weeks without playing a game, No. 6 Arizona (8-0) looks a little rusty and started shooting 27% from the field against NDSU (3-5). The Wildcats overcame the slow start and squeaked by the Bison 59-47 despite being short-handed.
"Not the prettiest win, but a wins a win at this time of year. We haven't played in 12 days, but credit North Dakota State; they came out with a good game plan really slowed us down, and you know they're a good team, so I'm just happy we won," said coach Adia Barnes after her team's victory over NDSU.
In the first few minutes of the game, sophomore forward Lauren Ware went down hard after attempting to grab an offensive rebound. She came down holding her right knee, clearly in pain.
So far this season, Ware has averaged 7.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and leads the team with 17 blocked shots.
"She'll be out for a week, possibly two weeks, but not that long. So but we're not going to rush her back, but it's not an injury like we anticipate or thought would be. So we're happy about that. That was good news. It was dislocated, but it got sifted right back. So that's why it wasn't a major injury, thank goodness," said Barnes on Ware's injury.
Barnes mentioned later in the press conference that Ware would be getting an MRI on her right knee in the next couple of days once the swelling subsides.
With Ware down and unable to come back into the game, Barnes turned to forward Ariyah Copeland to insert in the starting lineup.
"I think she did really well. I think she missed a couple of shots, had two travels that she typically doesn't have because she has really good balance. I thought when the game came down to needing a bucket, we found her and she delivered.
"So I think she did a really good job of finishing shots. She missed three, but it felt like it was more because she usually doesn't miss three. That's how efficient she is. But she's just so strong and so smart inside. And our team did a really good job of giving it to her, so I think she came up big down the stretch," said Barnes on Copeland's performance.
Even with coming into the game earlier than expected, Copeland finished with 13 points, three rebounds and a block while going 3 for 6 from the field.
"I mean, you feel pretty normal. I feel like in those situations; you got to be ready when your number is called because I could have been anyone. So I just try to be there for my team as much as I can," Copeland said about coming in for Ware after her injury.
Although the Wildcats struggled, shooting 35% from the field and going 3 for 17 from the 3-point line, point guard Shaina Pellington found her touch going 6 for 13 from the field and scoring a team-high 16 points collecting four rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Over Pellington's last three games, she has scored 34 points while shooting 48% from the field and has gone 3 for 7 from the 3-point line.
""I think I built a lot of confidence, especially from the tournament we just played in. I'm starting to find a rhythm again within myself offensively, which is really good and I'm happy for that.
"It's allowing me to play kind of a little more composed, and I'm able to see the floor a little more when I'm more composed. So I'm really happy about that. And you know, I'm going to try and continue to play with that composure moving forward," said Pellington on her performance.
Arizona will return to action Sunday as the Wildcats host New Mexico at McKale Center with a tip-off time of 1 p.m. MST.
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