Looking back on the Arizona women’s basketball season

BY NATHANIEL LEVIN @NRL248

The Arizona women’s basketball team finished the 2022-23 season with a record of 22-10 and 11-7 in Pac-12 play. The Wildcats reached the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, and Arizona topped 20 wins for the fifth consecutive season.

Arizona stayed inside the AP Top 25 throughout the entire season, climbing as high as No. 12 in week five and as low as No. 25 in week 19. Additionally, the 2022-23 season included ranked wins over No. 18 Baylor University, the No. 18 University of Oregon, the No. 4 University of Utah, the No. 21 University of Colorado Boulder and No. 14 UCLA.

Through the first two months of the 2022-23 season, Arizona put together an impressive 12-1 start. However, the Wildcats struggled to carry their momentum into the second half of the season, going 9-7 during the final two months of the season.

Stars of the season:

The Wildcats were led by three seniors: guard Shaina Pellington, forward Cate Reese and forward Esmery Martinez.

During the 2022-23 season, fifth-year senior Pellington was the face of the Wildcat offense, leading the team in scoring per game, total assists and shooting percentage. Her 13.4 points per game and 3.6 assists were both career highs for her, while also shooting a career-best 53.7% from the field.

Fellow fifth-year senior Reese was just behind Pellington, averaging 13.2 points per game, along with 5.8 rebounds per game which was second-best on the team. Reese leaves Arizona as one of the all-time greats for the program. She ranks second in program history in career total rebounds (961), second in games played (153), fourth in career double-doubles (22), fifth in total points scored (1,951) and top-10 in several other categories.

Senior Esmery Martinez was another key asset for the Wildcats this season. She transferred in from West Virginia University, where she played her previous three seasons. She had an immediate impact on the Wildcats, recording two double-doubles in her first three games. She finished the season averaging 10.5 points per game, which was third-best on the team, but she ranked first in rebounds, averaging 8.6 per game.

NCAA Tournament:

The Wildcats were hovering around a possible No. 4 or No. 5-seed in the NCAA Tournament throughout the entire season. However, after closing the season on a three-game losing streak, they slipped down to a No. 7-seed and were matched up with No. 10-seeded West Virginia in the Round of 64. The Wildcats controlled the game from the start and held a 40-33 lead at halftime. West Virginia made a little run at the start of the second half, but the Wildcats pulled away late in the third quarter and never looked back, cruising to a 75-62 victory.

After defeating West Virginia in the Round of 64, the Wildcats took on the No. 2-seeded University of Maryland in the Round of 32. Arizona trailed Maryland nearly the entire first half, but a late run in the second quarter gave them a 33-32 lead at halftime. Unfortunately, Maryland came out aggressive to start the second half and were able to pull away from the Wildcats, turning a 1-point deficit into a 19-point lead at the end of the third quarter. In the end, Maryland outperformed Arizona, defeating the Wildcats 77-64.

The top five games of the regular season:

1. No. 22 Arizona defeats USC 81-75 in 2OT (Feb. 5, 2023)

An ugly start to the game caused the Wildcats to trail 2418 at the half. However, Arizona rallied back in the second half, as the teams traded baskets throughout the half. In the closing seconds of the game, USC looked like they were going to squeak away with the victory, but Jade Loville hit a gametying jumper with less than 40 seconds left to send the game to overtime.

Overtime was back and forth, and Arizona tied the game up once again thanks to Maya Nnaji hitting a jumper with 6 seconds left. One overtime wasn’t enough to decide the game, as the game then went to a second.

This time, Arizona was able to hold off USC, winning 81-75 in 2OT.

2. No. 22 Arizona upsets No. 14 UCLA 71-66 in OT (Feb. 3, 2023)

UCLA dominated nearly the entire game, leading by double digits several times. With just under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Arizona was trailing 61-50 and looked depleted, so they called a timeout to regroup. Arizona came out of the timeout energized and proceeded to claw their way back into the game. The Wildcats went on an 11-0 run to tie the game up and send it to overtime.

Arizona outpaced UCLA in overtime and defeated the Bruins 71-66 in OT. The Wildcats closed the game on a 21-5 run after trailing 61-50 late in the fourth quarter.

3. No. 15 Arizona defeats No. 18 Oregon 79-71(Jan. 8, 2023)

Arizona hosted Oregon, in a ranked head-to-head matchup that was back and forth the entire way. The game included 21 lead changes, with neither team ever taking control of the game. Arizona trailed early, as Oregon took a 35-34 lead into halftime. Throughout the second half, the teams traded baskets, but in the closing minutes of the game, Arizona used a 12-4 run to pull away to a 79-71 victory.

4. No. 18 Arizona upsets No. 4 Utah 82-72 (Feb. 17, 2023)

Arizona lost a heartbreaker against Utah on the road in the first matchup earlier in the season, losing 80-79 on Jan. 15. Arizona was looking for redemption in front of their home crowd. Arizona jumped out an early lead and controlled most of the way other than a period of back-and-forth basketball in the second quarter. Arizona held a 44-40 lead at halftime and was able to extend their lead to 10 points at the end of the third quarter. Utah cut its deficit down to 4 points nearing the end of the game, but Arizona seemed unfazed and held on, winning 82-72.

5. No. 18 Arizona defeats the University of California, Berkeley 63-56 (Dec. 31, 2022) Arizona controlled the entire game against Cal, leading by as much as 16 points in the first half. However, Cal slowly cut the deficit down to a single point in the closing minutes of the game. However, Arizona held off Cal’s late-game rally, winning 63-56 on the road.