Tee Tee Starks’ big night helps Arizona beat USC, snap losing streak

Tee Tee Starks is best known for her defense, but her shooting can be a weapon too.

The senior guard went 4 for 4 from 3 as the Arizona Wildcats beat the USC Trojans 71-68 on Friday to snap a three-game losing streak. The Wildcats improve to 14-5 overall and 4-4 in the Pac-12.

Starks, making her first start as a Wildcat, finished with a season-high 13 points. The Iowa State transfer also had a season-high four assists and matched her season-high in rebounds with four. She started in place of Lucia Alonso, who is battling an ankle injury.

The Wildcats trailed by as many as 10 in the first half, but used a big third quarter to grab the lead and never relented it.

Starks hit two 3s during UA’s red-hot third quarter. One tied it at 35 with 7:25 left. Another gave UA a 45-40 lead only a couple minutes later. The Wildcats shot 62 percent in the third and when the period finally ended, they surfaced with an eight-point lead.

Aari McDonald led the way for the Wildcats with 20 points and eight assists. Cate Reese added 17 points, her third straight game scoring in double figures. Dominique McBryde had 12 points and 10 rebounds

The Wildcats shot 49 percent and held USC to 42 percent shooting. UA finished with a 37-27 edge in rebounds.

Arizona came out hot, sinking four 3s in the first quarter. Starks was responsible for two. Tied at 16 through one quarter, USC (11-7, 1-6) began the second quarter on a 12-2 run to take a 28-18 lead, benefitting from UA’s 10 first-half turnovers.

But Arizona was able to trim the deficit 33-28 heading into the locker room, then came out fast and furious in the third quarter, outscoring the Trojans 25-12.

Arizona pushed its lead to 13 after a 3 by Bryce Nixon and layup by Reese early in the fourth, but USC answered with an 8-0 run to cut it 62-57 with 4:53 left.

Two free throws by USC’s Minyon Moore made it 67-63 with 57 seconds left.

After McDonald split a pair of free throws, Moore converted two free throws to cut UA’s lead to 68-65 with 27.6 seconds then Mariya Moore buried a triple to make it 70-68 with 22.8 seconds left

Starks made a free throw to make it a three-point game, then forced Mariya Moore into a bad shot that failed to graze the iron as the Wildcats held on for the win.

This story will be updated with quotes.

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