Arizona women’s basketball falls to NAU in season’s first loss

Kayla Lowery

November 21, 2024

Isis Beh drives in on Alyssa Brown in McKale Center on Nov. 12. Beh transferred from West Virginia in 2023.

The University of Arizona women’s basketball team (5-1, 0-0 in Big 12) lost 92-75 to the NAU Lumberjacks on Wednesday, Nov. 20 in Rolle Activity Center in Flagstaff. This is the Wildcats’ first loss of the season after coming off of a dominating win against Chicago State University.

Guard Paulina Paris ended the night as the Wildcats’ point leader with 20 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Following Paris, sophomore forward Sahnya Jah put up a career-high of 16 points and three rebounds. Jah, a transfer from the University of South Carolina, beat her previous career high of 8 points she recorded against Clemson University.

The Wildcats came out strong to start the first half, building their largest lead by 16 points, 27-11. The lead did not last long for Arizona; the Lumberjacks went into halftime leading 41-38 and ultimately fought to the end securing a win.

Arizona managed to dominate in the paint, scoring 42 points throughout the game. Forward Breya Cunningham led the Wildcats in the first half with 8 points and four rebounds. Alongside Cunningham, Paris also scored 8 points along with four rebounds.

The Wildcats weren’t able to lead again after coming out from half time. Despite a dominant start shooting 56.3% in the first quarter and building multiple leads, the Wildcats could not maintain their momentum.

Arizona’s shooting efficiency dropped significantly, particularly in the second quarter, where the team shot 36.8% and failed to convert any free throws. The Wildcats also struggled from 3-point range, making only 5-for-16 on 31.3% shooting.

Key players like Isis Beh and Skylar Jones got into foul trouble, contributing to the Wildcats’ first loss of the season. With under six minutes remaining in the game, Cunningham and Beh both fouled out. Arizona also had 17 turnovers which disrupted its offensive flow.

The Lumberjacks capitalized on the Wildcats’ disadvantages, scoring 19 points off of turnovers. The standout player for NAU was Nyah Moran, who scored 22 points, shooting 8-for-12 from the field. She also added four rebounds and four assists.

Following Moran, Leia Beattie and Sophie Glancey added 17 points apiece. Beattie excelled from beyond the arc shooting, going 5-for-8 and grabbing nine rebounds.

NAU collectively shot 43.5% from the field during the game. Key contributions from Saniyah Neverson, who posted a double-double with 10 points and 15 rebounds, helped secure the Lumberjacks edge in rebounding, collecting 45 for the game. With 19 points off turnovers and 23 fast break points, NAU capitalized on Arizona’s mistakes to capture the win. This is Arizona’s first loss to the Lumberjacks in the last five seasons.