Reese leads No. 9 Arizona to easy 80-44 win over Rutgers

Sat, Nov 27, 2021
NCAAB News (AP)

ST. THOMAS, U.S. Virgin Islands (AP) - Cate Reese scored 16 points and No. 9 Arizona cruised to an 80-44 victory over Rutgers on Saturday, the final day of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.

Gisela Sanchez added 15 points and Aaronette Vonleh had 12 points, both off the bench, for the Wildcats (6-0). Arizona led by as many as 42 points and won the tournament's Island Division title.

Osh Brown had nine points and Shug Dickson scored eight points for the Scarlet Knights (4-4), who had won three Paradise Jam titles but went 0-3 in their fourth appearance.

Arizona put Rutgers away early. After taking a 12-2 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Wildcats shot 68.4% from the field (13 for 19, including 3 of 6 on 3-pointers) and outscored Rutgers 34-6 in the second period for a 46-8 halftime lead.

Even with its starters on the bench most of the second half, Arizona continued to increase its lead. The Wildcats built their biggest advantage, 58-16, on Vonleh's put-back with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter.

BIG PICTURE

Rutgers: It wasn't a good finish for the Scarlet Knights, who had won Paradise Jam titles in 2004, 2009 and 2015 under Hall of Fame coach C. Vivian Stringer. Stringer is sitting out this season because of COVID-19 concerns and Rutgers needs work if it hopes to earn a 27th NCAA Tournament invitation.

Arizona: After tough wins over Vanderbilt and DePaul at the Paradise Jam, the Wildcats finally put together a performance indicative of a Top 10 team. Coach Adia Barnes also got her reserves plenty of playing time - something that could pay dividends once their Pac-12 season begins.

UP NEXT

Rutgers: At Pittsburgh on Wednesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

Arizona: With its game against California-Riverside on Friday canceled because of COVID-19 issues, the Wildcats won't play again until Dec. 9, hosting North Dakota State.

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More AP women's college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25