TUCSON, Ariz. – The Arizona Wildcats (4-7) wrapped up the non-conference slate against Southern Utah with a double-overtime win and will now look to keep that momentum going heading into conference play as they face Utah (9-2) on Friday, Dec. 29 in Salt Lake City.
 
Friday, Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. MST
Live Stream: ArizonaWildcats.com
Radio: 1400 AM (Derrick Palmer)
Twitter: @ArizonaWBB
#MadeForIt
 
QUICK NOTES

• Arizona wrapped up the non-conference slate with a thrilling victory over Southern Utah that saw 14 lead changes thanks to a game-winning three-pointer by Kat Wright in double-overtime.
   
• Jalea Bennett has been a scoring machine for Arizona as she averages a team-high 16.5 points per game. Over her last six games, the senior is scoring 19.7 points per game, grabbing 5.7 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game.
   
• Sam Thomas recorded the first double-double for any Wildcat this season with 13 points and 10 rebounds against NAU (12/7). She is the first freshman since LaBrittney Jones to record a double-double. Against Southern Utah, Thomas grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds, which is the most for any Wildcat since Jones had 15 on Dec. 15, 2013 and leads the Pac-12 in rebounding.
   
• Kat Wright had her breakout game against Southern Utah as she poured in a season-high 18 points on 7-13 shooting with four made three-pointers. At the end of double-overtime, Wright drilled the game-winning three-pointer to put the Cats up by two points.
   
• Destiny Graham recorded her first-career double-double against Southern Utah with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.

Last Five vs. Utah
1/8/17: Arizona 81, at Utah 70
1/15/16: Utah 60, at Arizona 55
3/1/15: Arizona 75, at Utah 41
1/30/15: at Utah 62, Arizona 48
2/21/14: Utah 52, at Arizona 47
 
Scouting the Utes
Utah wrapped up their non-conference season with a 71-50 win over Oral Roberts and come into Friday's game with a 9-2 record, with their only losses to Alabama and BYU. The Wildcats and the Utes have one common non-conference opponent in Utah State, a game which Utah won 79-44. Emily Potter leads the Utes with 13.5 points and 8.0 rebounds per game while Megan Huff is right behind her with 13.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Thanks to Potter and Huff, Utah has the highest defensive rebounding percentage in the Pac-12 (77%).
 
We See Ya JaLea
JaLea Bennett is one of the two seniors on the team (Kat Wright) and will be looked upon as a leader for the young group of Wildcats this year. Along with Destiny Graham, they are the two remaining student-athletes that played for former head coach Niya Butts. Bennett has turned up the scoring this year as she averages 16.5 points per game, which would be a huge career-high should she maintain and is currently fifth in the Pac-12. Davellyn Whyte was the last player to average at least 16 points per game for a season when she scored 16.8 back in the 2012-13 season. The senior has scored in double-figures 10 times this season and nine-straight, which are both career-highs, after scoring 20 against Southern Utah for the fourth time in her last six games. For the first time in her career, Bennett played 40 minutes due to the game going to double-overtime. Over the last six games, Bennett averages 19.7 points, just under six rebounds and over two steals per game.
 
Thomas Does It All
Through the first 11 games of her career, Sam Thomas has been rather impressive on the floor. All while playing a team-high 37.8 minutes per game, she averages 9.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.9 steals. After recording the first double-double of the season for any Wildcat against NAU (12/7), she became the first freshman since LaBrittney Jones (2014) to finish the game with a double-double. She is also the first freshman and player since Erica Barnes (2011) to have three double-figure rebounding games in the first eight games of the season. Her 15 rebounds against Southern Utah is the most since Jones grabbed 15 on Dec. 15, 2013 and her 49 minutes are the third-most in school history. In the Pac-12, Thomas is first in rebounding, second in blocked shots and defensive rebounding, third in offensive rebounding, eighth in steals, and first in minutes played. Except for offensive rebounding where she is second among all freshmen, she is the top freshmen in the categories mentioned in the previous sentence. Thomas is the only player in the Pac-12 to be in the top 10 in rebounding, blocks and steals. Additionally, Thomas is fifth in the country among all freshmen and 34th overall in blocks per game. The freshman has a shot to break a couple freshman records, and below is a look at where Arizona's top freshmen stood through the first 11 games of the season.
 
Blocks
Shawntinice Polk (2002-03) – 25
Sam Thomas (2017-18) – 24
LaBrittney Jones (2013-14) – 22
 
Minutes
Sam Thomas (2017-18) – 416
Reiko Thomas (2008-09) – 400
Lucia Alonso (2016-17) – 366
Davellyn Whyte (2009-10) – 348
 
It's Her Destiny
Destiny Graham has stepped up her game so far in 2017. She is scoring 9.6 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds per game, which is second on the team and are both career highs. Graham recorded her first-career double-double against Southern Utah with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in a career-high 37 minutes. The junior has done a good job of getting to the line and making her free throws as she is 33-40 (83%) from the charity stripe, which is third in the Pac-12. Coming into the 2017 season, Graham had scored in double-figures just three times and has already scored in double-figures five times this season.
 
Marlee Gets Buckets
Freshman Marlee Kyles is Arizona's second leading scorer through the first 11 games of the season by averaging 10.6 points per game off the bench while playing 25.6 minutes per game, which is the sixth-fewest on the team. She scored 17 in the season opener against Iona (11/10), had 18 against Loyola Marymount (11/22) and had a career-high 19 against Long Beach State (11/28). Kyles is third amongst all freshmen in scoring in the Pac-12 and has six double-figure games.
 
Buenos Dias, Lucia
It's hard to believe, but Lucia Alonso is already the third-longest tenured Wildcat on the 2017-18 roster as a sophomore. Alosno has been outstanding from beyond the arc as she is shooting a team-high 45% (17-38), which is sixth in the Pac-12. Additionally, Alonso is eighth in steals (1.9) and third in minutes per game (36.1). Against Hawaii (12/17), Alonso had a terrific game with a career-high 21 points on 8-17 shooting and 3-6 from beyond the arc.
 
Your Newest WildKAT
After visiting campus this past April, Kat Wright decided to finish out her college career at the University of Arizona. A transfer from Florida Atlantic University, Wright has 158 career made three-pointers, which would be sixth all-time in Arizona history. Wright was forced to sit out the 2016-17 season due to injury, but during her junior year in 2015-16, Wright lit it up as she made 87 trey balls on 40% shooting while scoring 11.7 points per game. To put that into perspective, only one Wildcat has made more than 82 three-pointers in one season, and that was Lisa Griffith wo made 92 in the 1996-97 season. The highlight of her career came on Jan. 30, 2016 when she drained 11 three-pointers against Charlotte, which is the second-most made three-pointers in NCAA history in a single game. She had her breakout game against Southern Utah as she dropped a season-high 18 points, which is the most she has scored since her 33-point game, and nailed the game-winning three-pointer in double-overtime with eight seconds left on the clock. Wright ranks ninth in made triples per game in the Pac-12 (2.0).
 
Sammy Gets Her Chance
Coming into the San Diego State game (12/3), Sammy Fatkin hadn't played more than eight minutes in a game and hadn't scored since the Utah State game (11/17). However, against the Aztecs, she played 18 minutes and scored 11 points with three made three-pointers.
 
A Balanced Attack
Arizona is one of just two teams in the Pac-12 (Cal) to have six players on the roster score at least 8.8 points per game. JaLea Bennett (16.5), Marlee Kyles (10.6), Destiny Graham (9.6), Sam Thomas (9.6), Lucia Alonso (9.3) and Kat Wright (8.8) are the Wildcats' main scorers. The last time Arizona had six players score at least nine points per game was back in 2001.
 
Barnes' Numbers vs. Utah as a Player and Coach
Head coach Adia Barnes never faced Utah as a player and is 1-0 as head coach vs. the Utes.
 
They're Called Free Throws for a Reason
Arizona has done a good job of converting their free throws this season as they are shooting at an 76% clip, which is second in the Pac-12. Destiny Graham ranks third in the Pac-12 in free throw percentage (83%).
 
A Scoring Barrage
Arizona scored 83 points on Dec. 14 against New Mexico State. The last time the Wildcats scored 80+ points in a game was on Jan. 8, 2017 vs. Utah when Arizona had 81. 83 points is also the most points scored in a game for Arizona since Jan. 13, 2013 when the Wildcats hit 100 vs. Oregon. The 39-point victory is Arizona's largest win since Feb. 16, 2012 when they beat Washington State by 39.
 
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