The University of Arizona women’s basketball team (10-4, 1-0 in Big 12) won in thrilling fashion against BYU 57-53 on Saturday, Dec 21 in the Marriott Center. The Wildcats opened their Big 12 schedule undefeated and extended their winning streak to three-straight games.

Arizona started hot, shooting 47.1 percent from the floor in the opening quarter. The Wildcat defense held the Cougars to shoot just 27.3 percent from the field and force seven turnovers in the game’s first 10 minutes. Sophomore Jada Williams and junior guard Paulina Paris contributed 5 points apiece to help Arizona lead 18-8 by the end of the first period.

However, the game turned upside down for Arizona as the team struggled offensively, shooting 15.4 percent in the second period, leading BYU to a 62.5 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. The Cougars outscored the Wildcats 22-7 before going into halftime up 30-25. 

Sophomore forward Breya Cunningham led the team at the break with 8 first-half points, three rebounds and two takeaways. Cunningham continued her dominance starting the second half scoring 8 points, four rebounds and a block while shooting an efficient 4-for-5 from the floor in the third quarter. 

Following Cunningham was Skylar Jones, a sophomore guard as she dropped 6 third-quarter points on 3-for-4 shooting.

The Wildcats’ defense prevailed once again, holding BYU to shoot just 33.3 percent from the floor and 2-for-8 from the 3-point line, while forcing the Cougars into five turnovers.

Despite a narrow lead, Arizona limited BYU to go 1-for-10 in the Cougars final shot attempts. During the last 10 minutes of regulation, BYU was limited to 25 percent shooting and committing four turnovers, as Arizona secured a 57-53 victory in its Big 12 conference opener.

Cunningham finished the game with a team-leading 21 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two rejections. Williams and Jones put up 11 points apiece to help the Wildcats in the win. Additionally, Jones ended the game with six rebounds and a pair of steals to go along with her name.

The Wildcats had a difficult shooting night, hitting only 63 percent at the free throw line and 17 percent from beyond the arc. On the other end, BYU shot better in both areas of the floor, shooting 33 percent from the 3-point line and 83 percent at the foul line. Despite BYU’s slight offensive advantage, Arizona responded in the paint by outscoring the Cougars 38-22 and capitalizing on their mishaps with 19 points off 18 turnovers.

Looking ahead

Arizona will return home to play on Tuesday, Dec. 31 in McKale Center at noon as the Wildcats prepare to host a tough University of Utah team, which currently holds a 10-2 regular season record and is 1-0 in the Big 12.