TUCSON, Ariz. --- There was never any doubt in this one, as Arizona led from wire-to-wire, cruising to a 61-34 victory over UC Santa Barbara in front of a school-record setting crowd of 6,268, Tuesday afternoon inside McKale Center.

For Arizona (1-2), the game goes down as one of the best defensive performances in program history, as the Cats held UC Santa Barbara (0-5) to just 11-of-48 from the field for 22.9 percent. The 11 field goals made is tied for the least amount of field goals Arizona has held any opponent to in program history. UA also held Cal State Fullerton to 11 field goals made back on Dec. 8, 1995.

Senior guard Candice Warthen led the Cats in scoring for the second time on the young season, as she went for a game-high 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, while knocking down all three of her three-point attempts.

Sophomore forward LaBrittney Jones nearly notched a double-double, as she scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while freshman forward Dejza James provided a huge spark off the bench, collecting a game-high 11 rebounds and chipping in five points in the victory.

Senior forward Alli Gloyd also posted a solid performance, going for seven points and seven rebounds on the day.

The Wildcats didn't allow a single Gaucho to reach double figures in any category, as Clair Watkins and Jasmine Ware each posted eight points to lead UC Santa Barbara in scoring. Watkins also led UCSB in the rebounding department, grabbing seven in the loss.

Arizona dominated inside all day long, as it outscored the Gauchos 26-6 in the paint, while it also won the second–chance point battle 17-2.

The Cats wasted no time controlling this one, as Arizona jumped out to a quick 18-8 lead with 7:52 remaining in the first half, after Warthen connected on the first of her game-high three treys from the left side.

Arizona would extend its advantage to as many was 15 in the first half, as Warthen came through once again, knocking down another three-pointer right before halftime to sport the Cats a 29-14 advantage heading into the intermission.

The Cats connected on 4-of-7 three pointers (57.1%) and 10-of-25 (40%) overall field goals in the first half. Both marking season-bests for any half this season.

The Wildcats' defensive pressure continued into the second half, as UA held UCSB to just two field goals made over the first 13:06 of the second half.

Arizona rolled from there, building its lead to as high as 27 points, which equaled the final margin of victory.

The Cats took care of the basketball, committing a season-low 13 turnovers and shot 71.4 percent from the charity stripe, while UA's bench outscored UCSB's reserves 17-6.

Arizona aims to clinch back-to-back wins for the first time this season, as it'll head to Miami, Florida to take on Florida International, Friday at 4 p.m. MST in the opening game of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic. 

ARIZONA POSTGAME QUOTES

Head Coach- Niya Butts

Opening Statement
“Thank you guys for being here. It feels good to get our first win under our belt in front of a great crowd I must say. It was a good defensive effort by us. I thought we did a good job of executing the game plan defensively. We were able to hold them to 22 percent from the field, 15 percent from the three-point line, so that's a solid effort. They (UCSB) were pretty deliberate on the offensive end, taking their time, using the shot clock, and with that type of a ballgame, I think any time you can get in between 60-70 points offensively, you have done a pretty solid job and we were able to score 61.”

On earning the first win of the season
“It's great to get one under our belt and now you hope the momentum from this one will carry us over into our next venture, which is a road trip here at FIU. Hopefully the team can get a sense of what it's like to get a win, what it's like to execute the game plan and understand what it's going to take for us to win a lot more.”

On the defensive effort
“I think number one we limited them to one shot. I think when you do a good job of rebounding the basketball and allowing them only one shot, I think a lot of their shots were contested and if we can do a good job at that, as well as defensive rebounding, you're probably going to have good defensive field goal percentage. So, I think for us it's just sticking to that and I think it allowed us to slow down and have some confidence offensively as well.”

On the guards rebounding well

“JaLea Bennett had five rebounds off the bench, five big ones really. There was one she caught off the rim and it kind of shocked me. I thought she was flying through the air for a minute, but we did a pretty good job of rebounding the basketball. Candice ended up with six rebounds, so that's pretty good from the point guard position. Dejza James came up big for us with 11 boards, and Alli Gloyd, and LaBrittney Jones, both had seven apiece. Anytime you can rebound the ball well you are in pretty good shape. We wanted to be +15 on the boards today and we were +20, so that's a good thing.”

On Candice Warthen's efficient play
“I think she settled down a little bit. I think she took better shots, with the exception of the three she hit at the end of the first half. It was probably was her worst shot of the day, and most celebrated oddly. I think she took better shots and had better control for the most part though. I think having Malena Washington come into the game and deviate some pressure at the one, I thought that was probably the biggest difference to be honest with you.”

On the record-setting crowd at “School Day”
“They gave us a huge boost. We're wondering if they can come back for the next one. They seemed to really be into it, cheering and hopefully they will tell their parents when they get home, 'please bring us back to another game at McKale Center'.”

On what the team still has to work on
“We still have to be a better executing offensively, no doubt about it. We have to finish better inside. We had a couple of opportunities to finish and we let those rim out, but we have to continue to be solid defensively as well. Every game you can come in and defend, some games you may be off offensively in terms of shooting the ball from the perimeter, but there are certain elements of our game we have to continue to improve at. Turnovers is one and I thought today we did a pretty good job in our turnover margin, we only had 13. Our goal today was 12 or less, so that's not too bad.”

Sophomore Forward- LaBrittney Jones

On the large crowd today
“It was really nice. It was great to have that much energy in the stands, especially during warmup.

Senior Guard- Candice Warthen

On her shooting performance today
“I was much more calm and confident today. Before the game I was just thinking about letting the game come to me. In previous games I kind of forced shots and took shots I didn't really like, but today I liked all of my shots, even the one that coach didn't like. Today I was just letting them come to me and not try too hard.”

On getting the first win of the season
“It feels good to get a win under our belt. Last year didn't go too well, so we just need to keep improving in practice.”

On the overall rebounding effort today
“In practice we do a drill where if you miss a rebound you have to run. I think that drill has helped us a lot. No one likes running.”

Senior Forward- Alli Gloyd 

On the importance of rebounding 
“I think we take pride in our rebounding. It's kind of unspoken but when the ball goes up we all go up and grab for it. We understand the importance of it. It eliminates the other team's second chance opportunity, so we need to get every rebound.”

Follow the Cats!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Arizona athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/ArizonaAthletics), Twitter (@AZATHLETICS), Instagram (azathletics) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/ArizonaAthletics). In addition, the women's basketball team has established its own official Facebook (Facebook.com/ArizonaWomensBasketball), Twitter (@ArizonaWBBall), and Instagram (ArizonaWBBall) accounts.