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He said it

Arizona assistant Anthony Turner on BYU: “We played them really well back in December at their place, so we understand the assignment. We know they want to really get out and in transition. We just went over with the team how we did a really good job of taking away those transition points for them that really hurt things. We know we've got to do that again. Secondly, we know their personnel. Really good shooter with Delaney Gibb who's turned herself, throughout the course of the season, into a three-level scorer. She'll get to the rim, she'll hit her pull ups, which she wasn't really doing before, and obviously she's a great 3-point shooter, so team defense on her. Everybody's got to be locked in and engaged in gaps, taking away seams so that we can try to shut her down on the inside.

“Emma Calvert is playing really well. We know that she's not the fastest person in the world, but she's really committed to running in transition. Breya (Cunningham), Isis (Beh), when she's at the five, have got to keep Calvert out of transition and then take away her inside game either with lobs or get into her left hand. She loves to shoot with her right hand, so we've got to take that away. We know that defensively, they have a system that really challenges us because they're sagging and they're clogging the paint. We've got to do a good job of moving the ball, moving bodies with pace, so that we can open up seams that we can drive through, Knowing that when we drive, they're going to be waiting for us in the paint. Then, hitting our teammates when they're open, playing on balance, on two feet, seeing through the floor, and hitting our teammates in rhythm so they can hit shots.�

On the sidelines

Short bench: Against TCU, without Jada Williams (foot injury) and Mailien Rolf (concussion) available, the Wildcats played with only seven players. All the bench players were forwards, with no guards available.

It was a familiar situation for Skylar Jones, Cunningham and Beh, as last season, the Wildcats played only six players for the last six weeks of the season and into the postseason.

“It felt exactly like last year,� Jones said. “But I have to give us more kudos last year because I was so tired today. I know I'm battling a cold, but I'm like, how did we do this for the whole end of the year last year? I don't know how we did it because today, oh, I felt those 30 minutes. I felt it.�

Finding a way: It doesn’t matter if the Wildcats are playing No. 1 Notre Dame, now-No. 10 TCU or an unranked team, Arizona coach Adia Barnes walks into every game the same way. Nothing changes in her preparation; nothing changes in her mentality.

“I don't care who I have; I'm going to try to get the best (out) of them; we're going to play,� Barnes said. “That's how I've always been. I don't go to any games afraid. I don't think anybody's that good. You just have to have a game plan and then try to stick to it. We had to do a lot of different things. … We had to throw different stuff and try different things, because (TCU is) good and they're a better team, so you’ve got to try to do different things.

“I think for me as a coach, I've improved a lot in the last couple years because I've had to take teams that are not as good and try to figure out ways to get us to win. We didn't do enough of it today, but I thought we did some good things. We grew and they were confident. They were feeling good, but it was just too little. Not enough.�

It’s a process: During the offseason and throughout the season, Wildcat coaches have been working with Jones on her balance, her footwork and her jump stops when taking shots.

All that hard work paid off for the sophomore against TCU as she put up 30 points, going 9 for 11 from the field, making all four 3s attempted and 8 of 9 from the free throw line.

“We were in practice the other day, and she came to a jump stop, finished a strong layup through contact, I was like, ‘Sky, that was it.’ She's like, ‘I know and you guys have been telling me. I don't know why I wasn't doing that before,’� Turner said.

Jones also played a little in the post against TCU and worked on different post-up moves leading up to the game. After the game, Jones admitted she was a little nervous having to do what Cunningham and Beh do, including banging down low, but said once she did it, “It was really fun.�

“It was easier for me not to get charges because I’m not moving,� Jones said. “I’m on balance and I think I shoot better percentages when I’m on balance anyway.�

By the numbers

8: BYU’s Gibb, the Big 12’s reigning Freshman of the Week, has won this honor eight times this season.

1: BYU knocked off No. 20 Oklahoma State, 68-64, Saturday for its first ranked win of the season and second under coach Amber Whiting in her third year at the helm.

18.74: The Wildcats are forcing 18.74 turnovers per game, which is third in the Big 12.

14.6: Jones is averaging 14.6 points over the last seven games.