The Arizona Wildcats kept it close against No. 10 USC for a half on Monday night. As has been typical of the team, the collapse started in the second quarter and accelerated after halftime on the way to a 81-64 USC victory in the Galen Center.
“We had a really good first quarter,” Arizona head coach Adia Barnes said. “I think second quarter, they got a little hot. We just had a really tough time containing JuJu (Watkins). She’s a really tough matchup for us. We had numerous people in foul trouble. And then we just kind of, I think, didn’t as a team play with a sense of urgency after that.”
Arizona was effective on defense in the first quarter. The Wildcats held USC to 20 percent shooting over the first 10 minutes. UA wasn’t great on offense, but its 33.3 percent shooting was considerably better than its opponent’s shooting.
The Women of Troy started to find the basket in the second period. Their success rate shot up to 81.8 percent, but they weren’t able to pull away from Arizona. The Wildcats also improved their shooting, going for 56.3 percent in the second quarter.
The Wildcats kept it close by doing work on the boards in the first half. They outrebounded USC 17-11 over the first 20 minutes. UA made good use of those rebounds, especially on the offensive end. It ended the half with nine second-chance points compared to zero for USC.
USC eventually came out on top in the rebounding battle, winning the boards 34-29. UA ended with 13 offensive boards to USC’s eight but only won the battle for second chance points 13-12.
USC made its big move from beyond the arc. After going 1 for 9 in the first quarter, the Women of Troy hit all six of their 3-point shots in the second quarter. They ended the night 11 for 22 from outside. Kayla Padilla led the way with 5-for-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
Arizona used a box and one defense to somewhat contain JuJu Watkins, especially in the first half. Watkins still ended the night with 32 points, but the Wildcats held her below her season shooting percentages. She connected on 39.1 percent of her shots from the field compared to 43.1 percent for the season. She was good on 33.3 percent of her 3-point shots compared to 34.7 percent this season.
They couldn’t keep Watkins off the line, though. She went 12 for 12 from the free-throw line. That was well above her season average of 7.4 free throw attempts per game.
After getting things going in the second quarter, USC kept the momentum out of the locker room. As it has in many games this season, Arizona allowed the opponent to build a lead in the third quarter. USC’s 37-33 lead at halftime was a 60-44 lead after 30 minutes.
For most of the game, the Wildcats avoided the foul trouble that has plagued their frontcourt players this season. Helena Pueyo, who guarded Watkins early in the game, picked up two fouls halfway through the first quarter and Courtney Blakely had two fouls in two seconds, Breya Cunningham and Isis Beh were able to go most of the game without being forced to sit with fouls. Esmery Martinez picked up her third early in the third quarter and eventually fouled out, but the foul situation was much less severe than it has been for the Wildcats in many of their games.
“Breya did a really good job,” Barnes said. “She’s really trying to do the things we’ve asked her. She’s being a lot more proactive on defense. I think moving her feet better. You’re right, not in a lot of foul trouble. I thought missed some shots around the basket because (Rayah) Marshall makes you alter some shots…I think she’s a little down right now just because it’s hard when you’re missing shots, but I thought she did some really good things and that she’s growing and getting better.”
Arizona ended with four players in double figures. Martinez and Skylar Jones both had 13 points. Martinez did it on 6-of-10 shooting. Jones went 3 of 9 from the floor, but she was 2 for 3 from the 3-point line and 5 for 6 from the free-throw line.
Jones added six rebounds, one block, and three steals but also had three turnovers. Martinez added seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal, but she also had issues with turnovers. The forward ended her night with five giveaways.
The continued improvement of Jones is a high point of the season for Barnes.
“Skylar was awesome,” Barnes said. “She’s really sick right now. We have a cold going around the team, but she played her heart out. She played solid defense. She played good on offense. She attacked the rim. I thought she did amazing. I think she’s just continuing to get better every single game and she’s doing everything we ask her and she’s a great kid. She’s someone I really want to build around, and I just love coaching her.”
Kailyn Gilbert had 11 points on 4-for-14 shooting off the bench. She contributed two rebounds and one assist as well as adding one turnover to the team’s total of 15 giveaways.
Jada Williams was the fourth player who scored in double digits. She had 10 points and three assists with one turnover. She hit 4 of 11 shots and connected on 33.3 percent of her 3-point shots.
The Wildcats got most of their early scoring from Pueyo. She scored four of Arizona’s first six points but only scored four more the rest of the game. She added one rebound, one assist, one block, and five steals.
Pueyo also had one turnover and committed four fouls while being the primary defender on Watkins. The most painful of the fouls was the last one. Pueyo fouled Watkins on a long 3-point shot with five seconds left in the third quarter just after Arizona cut the lead to 13. The ball had no hope of going in, but Watkins sank all three free throws.
Both Williams and Martinez appeared to suffer injuries during the game. Williams left for several minutes but was able to return. Martinez was injured committing her fifth foul. She had to be helped from the floor.
“Those kids play their hearts out,” Barnes said. “They have great mentalities, great attitudes every single day. Some people probably wouldn’t have gone back in the game at this point, but those two are—they’re difference makers and kids I really believe in…Thank God they’re okay.”
The Wildcats now return home to face Washington State and Washington. They will be must-win games if Arizona (12-12, 4-8) wants to keep its postseason hopes alive. Following that, they finish the season by going to the Bay Area and hosting the Los Angeles schools. Three of the final four games are against top 10 opponents.
Regardless of who the opponents are, Barnes thinks that success will only come one way.
“It’s gonna be hard to win a lot of games if we don’t change our mentality,” she said. “I think there’s just a lot of people hanging their heads, really kind of worried about their individual performances versus the team, and we’re not going to win a lot like that. So my message to the team, it’s not about winning or losing. I think it’s about this is who we are and this is what we have and everybody being on the same page, fighting for the same goals if we want to win. If not, we’re not gonna win another game this year. So I think that there’s some kids that really want it, and I think it shows on the floor. And some kids just want to play by themselves and that shows on the court, too. But we know we’re not gonna win games like that. So whether we finished the season with five players and three more walk-ons…I know that everybody that’s going to play and earn playing time, they’re going to be playing as a team. They’re gonna play offense and defense, are gonna have good attitudes and a good work ethic, or they’re gonna rot on the bench. And I don’t care.”
https://pixabay.com/photos/death-valley-valley-of-death-277020/
Over the upcoming days, all-time record high temperatures will be challenged across portions of the West. Daytime highs from Washington to Arizona can range upwards of 100 Fahrenheit, with some desert Southwest locations soaring above 115 daily.
On Friday, the heat record for the day was set in Death Valley. The mercury climbed to 127 Fahrenheit with the old mark of 122 last tied in 2013. The area hit 130 in July 2021 with the disputed record 134 in July 1913.
Also there a record high for the date of 118 in Needles, Calif., where the National Weather Service has records dating to 1888. The high of 122 edged the old mark of 121 in 2007.
And it was 124 in Palm Springs.
Around 130 million people were under threat Saturday and into next week.
Pacific Northwest, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast could reach 100 degrees , said Jacob Asherman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. And the humidity will be high.
Factors such as a recent lack of rainfall, low relative humidity levels and stifling temperatures will create an elevated wildfire threat.The harsh conditions can dramatically raise the risk for heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
An expansive heat wave is projected to continue across the Western states through at least early week, AccuWeather meteorologists say. The pattern of intense and elevated temperatures plaguing the region is largely due to an amplified ridge in the jet stream anchoring high pressure over it with a consistent flow of warmth from the south.
“The large and expansive heat dome across the western United States will bring record heat from the deserts of Southern California stretching northward all the way into the Pacific Northwest,” explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski.
Daytime highs will soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit across portions of Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington and even Idaho.
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Pydynowski highlighted that cities such as Seattle will challenge their daily records Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The heat can be particularly dangerous in some cities west of the Cascades in western Washington, such as Seattle, Olympia and Port Angeles, where many people and homes do not have air conditioning.
Across the central valleys of California and the desert and basin regions of the Southwest, highs persisting above 110 and even 115 will be conceivable over the upcoming days.
“The all-time record of 117 in Las Vegas could be broken Sunday, and daily records in Vegas could be challenged or broken nearly every day from today through at least next Thursday,” noted Pydynowski.
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Copious amounts of sunshine will continue to expand across the West through at least midweek, providing little relief for residents in terms of any shade gleaming from cloud cover. In the heart of the Southwest, locations like Las Vegas and Phoenix are forecast to have max ultraviolet (UV) index levels categorized as extreme for much of this week, ranging between 11 and 12.
At UV levels such as these, protection against sun damage is necessary for anyone outdoors during the midday hours. Items such as sunscreen, a hat, and loose-fitting and light-colored clothing are recommended in these situations.
Excessive heat warnings have been issued across the West, with many warnings lasting through at least midweek. The record-challenging heat will continue to pose a risk for anyone working outdoors, particularly during the prime heating hours of the daytime from mid-morning through the afternoon.
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Forecasters say that a slight nudge in the pattern early this week will result in some cooling along the West coast, while locations farther inland will continue to bake in the heat.
“Some relief is in sight for early next week as the heat dome shifts eastward, promoting a dip in temperatures along the Pacific coast. Temperatures in cities near the Pacific coast, including San Francisco and Oakland, California, are expected to dip to near historical averages for July,” explained AccuWeather Meteorologist Elizabeth Danco.
Danco added that as the core of the heat dome shifts eastward into the Great Basin this week, dry conditions will again be coupled with all-time record highs from interior California into parts of southern Nevada and western Arizona.
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There are currently 41 active fires across Oregon and 20 active fires in California. Forecasters warn that the ongoing heat wave and drier pattern will not improve wildfire conditions across the West.
“The heat combined with dry brush and low relative humidity across the region will continue to promote the risk for wildfires to start and spread. Individuals are urged to exercise caution when using open flames and to adhere to any bans that may be in effect,” highlighted Danco.
Although surface winds will generally be light across the majority of the West over the upcoming days, isolated gusts up to 30-40 mph may occur from areas spanning from southern Idaho to eastern Nevada, Utah and northern Arizona, which can cause any active fires to readily spread and pose challenges for firefighting crews.
Heat-related deaths in hottest major US city have almost doubled compared with the same period last year, after Phoenix experienced its hottest ever June on record.
The number of possible heat deaths reported by the Maricopa county medical examiner was 175 as of 29 June – a staggering 84% increase over the same period last year.
That current total comprises 162 suspected deaths under investigation and 13 confirmed heat deaths.
The death toll from extreme heat has been rising every year in Maricopa county, where Phoenix, the Arizona state capital and America’s fifth largest city, is located.
Deaths are concentrated in Phoenix despite city and statewide efforts to tackle the rise in heat mortality and morbidity.
Last year, Phoenix suffered a month of consecutive days over 110F (43C) and a record 645 heat deaths in the county – a 700% rise over the past decade. But the unprecedented July heatwave followed a cooler-than-normal June, which could partly explain the surge in early season heat-related deaths recorded so far this year.
The average temperature – a measure which takes into account the daily highs and lows – made June 2024 the hottest ever recorded in the city. This was driven in large part by multiple record warm lows or night-time temperatures towards the end of the month, when moisture from a tropical system sat over the region, trapping the daytime heat and limiting cooling.
The night-time low on 27 June was 95F – which broke the record for the warmest overnight June low, which was 93F and set in 1990. The hotter nights are particularly alarming for public health experts because heat is cumulative, and the body cannot start to properly recover until the temperature drops below 80F.
Dangerously hot temperatures are forecast for Maricopa county and the entire south-west United States, with a heat dome – a strong area of high pressure and warm air – expected to linger until the middle of next week, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in a post on X.
With no rain forecast, temperatures could top 115F in Phoenix over the next few days, with records likely to be broken in parts of California and Las Vegas, according to Gabriel Lojero, a meteorologist at the NWS Phoenix.
“The heat is going to be very severe across the majority of the south-west with an excessive heat warning in place for most of the region. The heatwave will be especially severe over the July 4 weekend when more people are doing outdoor activities,” said Lojero.
Heat deaths are rising across the US – and globally – with official counts likely to be a significant underestimate as many medical examiners have yet to develop processes that match Maricopa county’s.
So far this year, heat has also killed at least two people in Idaho and at least five in Kansas City, according to reports from local health officials.
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Investigating suspected heat deaths takes time.
Of the 13 confirmed heat deaths in Maricopa county so far this year, 46% of the people were Black, Latino or Indigenous American; 69% were men and 31% were women. At least two deaths took place indoors. In one case, the deceased’s air conditioning was turned off, in the other case it was not functioning, according to preliminary investigations.
Paramedics have responded to 424 heat-related emergency calls so far this year, according to the Phoenix fire department.
It’s not clear what impact the city’s decision to evict a large homeless encampment from downtown – where many services are located – will have on heat deaths, as 45% of last year’s fatalities involved unsheltered people. So far this year, 31% of the confirmed deaths involved unhoused people. It’s unclear whether some unhoused people have left due to Phoenix’s increasingly draconian crackdown on homelessness.
In May, advocates condemned Phoenix for effectively criminalizing homelessness after the Democrat-run city council voted unanimously to ban people from sleeping, cooking or camping at city buildings, parks and parking lots, and also within 500ft of schools, daycare centers, shelters and parks.
The tent ban can now be enforced after the US supreme court last week ruled that it was not unconstitutional for cities to arrest and fine people for sleeping in public spaces, even when no shelter space exists. Phoenix “will continue to offer shelter and services when possible, and will ask for compliance before resorting to an arrest”, according to the city attorney Julie Kriegh.
The region is accustomed to a hot desert climate, but daytime and night temperatures are rising due to global heating. The deadly consequences have been exacerbated by decades of unchecked urban development that created a sprawling heat island, which the city is trying to tackle with a variety of programs.
Both Arizona and San Diego came into this game riding highs. For Arizona, they’d essentially swept the Dodgers (minus a bad pitch or two from Seawald – his first problematic showing all season!). San Diego meanwhile was riding the high of taking 2 out of 3 from the reigning World Champion Texas Rangers!
Carroll led the game off with a double. He scored when JOC HOMERED TO DEAD CENTER (AZ 2-0)! Gurriel also doubled but nothing else fun happened. Cecconi matched the offense’s vibe and shut down the Padres in the first! Sadly the offense couldn’t replicate in the second, going down in order. Cecconi was less sharp in the second, allowing a run on some small ball: Machado doubled and advanced to home on the next two outs (AZ 2-1). Vasquez again retired the side in the third. Thankfully Cecconi matched him.
Gabi and Suarez made some noise in the fourth, but Alek ended the fun with a groundout to third (but it wasn’t second, so progress?)… It came back to haunt the team though as Cecconi struggled the second time through the order. Jackson Merrill tripled two runs home (SD 3-2) and then scored himself when David Peralta doubled (SD 4-2). Cecconi struck Kim out, but Higashioka singled Peralta home (SD 5-2). After an infield single to Arraez, Cecconi ended the inning. Despite a Perdomo single, Carroll grounded into a double play and Marte ended the inning with his own groundout. Cecconi got the first two outs of the fifth on his own double play, but Suarez erred on a grounder, which ended Slade’s night in favor of Jacques. Thankfully he quickly ended the inning. The sixth was not fun for Arizona. HIGASHIOKA HOMERED IN THE BOTTOM HALF WITH A RUNNER ON (SD 7-2)! The bleeding stopped there.
The top of the seventh was another nothing showing for the Arizona bats. Castellanos kept San Diego from scoring. Newman hit for Pederson in the eighth, but San Diego countered with a pitching change and Newman struck out. Castellanos stayed on the mound for Arizona and handled the eighth without issue. The offense looked alive in the ninth as Gurriel and Moreno singled before McCarthy (hitting for Suarez) walked. ALEK THOMAS HIT A GRAND SLAM OFF NEW PITCHER SUAREZ (SD 7-6)! Perdomo then had a nice grounder that Arraez made a nice play on. But Carroll earned himself a hustle double so that Ketel Grichuk could bat. HE HIT A TWO RUN HOME RUN (AZ 8-7)! Newman kept the hit parade going, which also ended Suarez’s (SD Closer) night. Walker struck out to end the fun.
The defense for the bottom of the ninth was as intriguing as the choice to remove Marte with Herrera catching, Moreno to Third, Newman at second, McCarthy in right and Seawald on the mound. It did not go well. Seawald immediately gave up a GAME-TYING HOME RUN TO PROFAR (TIE 8-8). He proceeded to walk the next batter which set MACHADO UP TO WALK THE GAME OFF (SD 10-8)!
As with many Cecconi starts, this game started well enough. He looked great the first time through the order. Then it rolled over. From there, it was all down hill on the pitching side. The bullpen wasn’t horrid. The offense had a first inning. Then they went home until the ninth where they loaded the based and forced San Diego to use their closer in a 7-2 ballgame. They had a PHENOMENAL showing, taking the lead back.
Grichuk got to be the big hero tonight, however it comes with some trepidation about Marte who looked both fine and a little worried in the dugout after being pinch hit for.
Matt Waldron welcomes Brandon Pfaadt to Petco Park for the second game of the series. First pitch is at 6:40pm Arizona Time.
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