Cats Close Out Battle4Atlantis with Win Over South Dakota

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Esmery Martinez had 14 points and Jada Williams scored a career-best 13 points to lead Arizona to a 61-52 victory over South Dakota in its final matchup of the Battle4Atlantis on Sunday. With the win, Arizona placed third in the tournament.

Martinez was close to a double-double with eight rebounds and added four steals and two assists to her stat line.

Skylar Jones had a career-high night with eight points on 3-of-4 shooting. She dropped in a pair of three-pointers in the second quarter to set up an 8-0 Arizona (6-1) run that put the Wildcats up by nine. Jones had two rebounds, one assist and a steal on the day.

Williams came up big for the Cats in key moments, banking in a three-pointer at the end of the third and drawing the and-one on a fast break layup in the fourth quarter to up Arizona’s lead to seven. South Dakota (3-3) hit a shot to cut the lead to five, but the Cats closed the game out with a nine-point win.

5:37 4Q

Arizona 48 | South Dakota 41

Helena with the sticky hands, Jada with the and-one finish ??????

?? ESPNU#MadeForIt x #LeaveALegacy pic.twitter.com/5gFq0YKJM8

— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) November 20, 2023

Arizona turned South Dakota over 24 times, the fifth game this season in which Arizona has forced 20 or more turnovers. The Cats blocked seven shots to bring the team’s Battle4Atlantis block total to 20.

Martinez, Maya Nnaji and Breya Cunningham each had at least seven rebounds, marking the first game this season in which at least three Wildcats have had at least seven.

The Wildcats will return to action Saturday, Dec. 2 at UNLV for a 3:00 p.m. MST matchup.