Arizona women’s basketball defeats UC San Diego on the road

Michael Smith

November 12, 2024

Two players from the University of Arizona block a player from UT Arlington in McKale Center on Nov. 4. The score during halftime was 34-21 with UA leading.

The University of Arizona women’s basketball team secured a 65-54 victory over the University of California, San Diego on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. in LionTree Arena. The Wildcats continue the start of their season maintaining an undefeated record.

Arizona struggled to find a rhythm early on as the Wildcats did not score their first field goal until more than three minutes into the opening period.

Midway through the first quarter, UC San Diego used a 6-0 scoring run to gain a 12-11 lead. From then on, the Wildcats did not look back as Arizona went on a 10-0 scoring run to close out the first quarter leading 21-12. Arizona kept its foot on the gas, opening the second quarter with an 8-0 scoring run. Sophomore forward Breya Cunningham converted a layup, drawing a foul and extending Arizona’s lead to 15 points.

The Tritons switched their defensive scheme to a zone, pressuring Arizona and causing the Wildcats to struggle putting the ball in the basket. Arizona managed to score only once in the final four minutes of the quarter, entering halftime ahead 31-20.

Beginning the third quarter, the Wildcats initiated a dominant 13-2 scoring run, breaking down the Tritons’ zone defense to extend the lead to 54-31 moving into the final ten minutes of play.

The Tritons went on an 11-0 run during the fourth period, forcing Arizona to turn the ball over four times and cutting the deficit to 60-47. However, Cunningham put a stop to the bleeding before UC San Diego could make a comeback. Cunningham went on a personal scoring run, starting with a layup then grabbing a steal on the next possession to score again, putting Arizona ahead by 17 points. UC San Diego failed to close the gap as the Wildcats went on to secure a 65-54 victory.

Cunningham, a San Diego native, led the way for Arizona, tallying 16 points, nine rebounds, three blocks and three steals while shooting 7-for-11 from the field. Sophomore guard Jada Williams was key defensively, leading the team with four steals and adding on 4 points and a pair of assists. Redshirt senior Isis Beh led the team second in scoring, completing the night with 9 points and three rebounds.

Arizona shot 42.1% from the floor, going 24-for-57 on field goals for the night. The Wildcats struggled from deep, hitting only 5-of-18 from behind the arc and 12-for-17 from the charity stripe, while committing a season high 23 turnovers.