Arizona blown out by No. 6 Stanford

Aari McDonald was held to 17 points on 22 shots

The Arizona Wildcats hoped they could follow up their upset of Cal with an inspiring performance against another ranked team, but all they got was a drubbing instead.

The sixth-ranked Stanford Cardinal walloped the Wildcats 78-48 on Sunday in McKale Center, winning their 32nd game in 33 tries against Arizona.

Arizona point guard Aari McDonald had scored 30 or more points in three straight games entering Sunday, but the Cardinal held her to 17 points on 6-of-22 shooting. She missed all six 3s she hoisted.

With McDonald kept at bay (for her standards), the UA offense struggled to manufacture enough offense to keep the game close. Arizona (13-3, 3-2 Pac-12) shot 27 percent, with no other Wildcat scoring more than nine points.

Stanford’s Alanna Smith had 20 points, 15 rebounds, and seven blocks, deterring McDonald’s drives several times.

Tenacious defense has been Arizona’s hallmark this season, but the Cardinal carved it up inside and out. Stanford poured in 13 3s and outscored the Wildcats 30-16 in the paint, shooting 44 percent for the game.

Stanford led 21-12 at the end of the first quarter and extended its lead to 44-16 at the half. Arizona only scored four points in the second quarter, while the Cardinal were 5 of 6 from 3 in the period. Stanford then opened the third quarter on a 10-1 run to erase any thought of a UA comeback.

To Arizona’s credit, it fought until the end, winning the fourth quarter, 21-16. The bulk of the announced 2,686 remained in their seats, despite the game being well out of hand.

Up next for the Wildcats is an arduous road trip against the Oregon schools, who both rank inside the Top 10.

This story will be updated.

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