University of Washington
Arizona
Huskies Up Winning Streak To Nine, Defeat Arizona 83-66
January 04, 2007 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 4, 2007
TUCSON, Ariz. - Senior guard Cameo Hicks led four players in double-figures with a team-high 18 points, lifting Washington to an 83-66 victory over Arizona in Pac-10 women's basketball action at the McKale Center, Thursday evening.
The victory extended Washington's (12-4, 5-0 Pac-10) winning streak to nine games, including its first 5-0 start in Pac-10 play since the 1987-88 season. The Wildcats lost their fourth-straight Pac-10 contest, falling to 6-10 overall, 0-4 in conference play.
Joining Hicks in double-figures for UW were junior center Andrea Plouffe (12 points), senior forward Jill Bell (12) and junior point guard Emily Florence (season-high 10). Junior guard Dominique Banks contributed a team-high eight rebounds - tying a career-high - in 13 minutes off the bench.
Seattle native Joy Hollingsworth led all Wildcats with 31 points, while Whitney Fields grabbed a team-high eight rebounds for Arizona, seven on the offensive glass.
The Huskies never trailed, leading by as many as 10 points three times in the first half, and took a 41-33 lead into the locker room in halftime. UW upped its lead to as many as 16, 55-39, seven minutes into the second half. But the Wildcats weren't about to go down easily, coming back with a 15-5 run to close within six points, 66-54, with 8:09 remaining in the contest.
Washington's experience then took over, as Hicks hit back-to-back buckets and Banks added another score to quickly give the Huskies a 12-point cushion, 66-54. Washington put the game away in the final minutes with a 9-0 to take a 19-point lead, 81-62, with 1:20 left on the clock.
Hicks, a preseason All-American and already a two-time Pac-10 Player of the Week this year, notched her 11th-straight double-figure scoring game and 15th overall this season.
Washington's nine-game winning streak is the longest since a nine-game streak during the 1993-94 season, and only one other UW team has opened up Pac-10 play 5-0 - the 1987-88 team that began their conference slate 8-0.
The Huskies will have two days to prepare for their next Pac-10 contest at No. 13/14 Arizona State (13-3, 3-1 Pac-10), Sunday, Jan. 7, at 11:30 a.m MT. The contest will be nationally televised on FSN.
