For the third straight game, senior guard Candice Warthen led the way for Arizona, recording a team-high 17 points and 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, as the Wildcats beat UT Martin 61-56 in their non-conference finale at McKale Center on Monday night.
The victory extends the home win streak for Arizona (7-4) to five games.
Warthen, who has led the Wildcats in scoring in seven of 11 games, also picked up a game-high-tying three assists and two steals. Her 17 points came on 7-of-15 shooting from the field.
Sophomore forward LaBrittney Jones nearly notched her third double-double of the season, as she scored nine points on 3-of-6 shooting, while pulling down eight rebounds and collecting a couple of steals.
Sophomore guard Malena Washington scored nine points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out two assists. Arizona improved to 5-1 in her starts this season.
As she has many times this year, sophomore forward Dejza James made her presence felt off the bench, as she scored eight points on 4 of 5 shooting, while grabbing four rebounds and recording a steal.
Arizona out-rebounded the Skyhawks 45-34, while winning the battle on the offensive glass 21-12.
After falling behind 2-0, the Wildcats launched a 13-4 run to claim a 13-6 advantage with 12:13 remaining in the first half, after James converted on a layup.
The squads traded leads nine times in the first half, but Arizona took a 34-31 lead into halftime.
The second half was a different story. While UT Martin was able to keep it close, the Wildcats never surrendered the lead, going up as much as 55-41 with 9:20 remaining after Alli Gloyd converted down low.
The Skyhawks made a run to cut the Arizona deficit to five points, but the Wildcats hung on to win.
Arizona will continue its season-long four-game homestand this weekend, as it will begin Pac-12 play against Washington State, Saturday at noon at McKale Center.
