University of Washington
Arizona
Arizona Spoils Husky Senior Celebration, 74-66
February 19, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 19, 2011
SEATTLE - The Huskies planned an elaborate farewell ceremony for Sarah Morton, honoring the senior's accomplishments during her tenure at Washington. If only the Huskies could have sent her out with a win.
Ify Ibekwe scored 24 points as the Wildcats spoiled the Husky fete at Alaska Airlines Arena on Saturday. The senior scored in just about every shape and form imagine, hitting jumpers, runners and layups in knocking down 7-of-13 shots. In total, the Wildcats shot 50 percent (24-of-48) from the floor. It was the first time the Huskies (10-14, 5-10) have allowed an opponent to break that barrier all season. Kristi Kingma led the Dawgs with 21 points, hitting five 3-pointers in the process.
But Kingma had to work for her shots, as the Arizona defenses hounded the junior up-and-down the court, limiting the junior to just 6-of-20 from the field. Regina Rogers added 11 points for the Huskies, while Morton scored 10 points and dished out six assists in her Hec Ed finale.
Fortunately, the Huskies still have a trio of games remaining, starting with another Apple Cup matchup with the Cougars in Pullman on Feb. 26 (5:30 p.m. PST). The opportunity in front of the Huskies is the motivating factor as the 2010-11 season wanes down to its end.
Kingma echoed this point after the game.
"We have to move on and I think we still have great things ahead of us," she said. Washington started the game engaged in a see-saw battle with the Wildcats. But despite putting Arizona (16-9, 7-7) in foul trouble, the Huskies could not capitalize. Led by Shanita Arnold and Brooke Jackson, the Wildcats stretched a 23-20 lead into a 38-26 advantage at the break. Jackson ended up with 11 points off the bench.
The Huskies scored the first eight points of the second half to pull within four, but the Wildcats came out of a timeout and responded with five straight to curb the run. And that was the ultimate story - the Huskies could not find the requisite stops to sustain momentum. In the postgame press conference, Huskies coach Tia Jackson made sure to offer credit to her team's opponent.
"We got them taking about the amount of shots we wanted them to take but they just weren't missing any," Jackson said. "They played a heck of a game."
She also lamented not sending out the first four-year senior of her head coaching career with a win. Morton has evolved as a player during her time at Washington, morphing from a skinny guard off the bench into one of the more capable points in the Pac-10 Conference.
"It's been an absolute joy. I just remember watching her grow from a young lady to now a young adult and a young woman, both on and off the floor," Jackson said. "It's been a special relationship that's been built. It's going to be hard when that final day does come but, for now, we've still got her."
