Arizona women’s basketball suffers back-to-back losses in Acrisure Classic

Grace Carnal

November 27, 2024

Guard Jada Williams pushes through Cal’s defense on Jan. 28 in McKale Center. Arizona women’s basketball lost to Stanford 96-64.

The University of Arizona women’s basketball team fell to back-to-back losses after taking on Vanderbilt University on Tuesday, Nov. 26 and the University of California, Berkeley on Wednesday, Nov. 27 in the Acrisure Holiday Invitational in Acrisure Arena.

The Wildcats fell to Vanderbilt 71-60 and Cal 74-62, making their current record 6-3.

Game 1: Arizona vs. Vanderbilt

Arizona lost to Vanderbilt in its first game of the tournament 71-60. The Wildcats trailed early through the game, as the Commodores led 31-18 into halftime. Jada Williams’ unrelenting effort helped the Wildcats launch an incredible comeback in the second half, after falling behind by as many as 20 points.

Late in the game, Arizona narrowed the deficit to just 1-point, but were unable to maintain the momentum as Vanderbilt’s clutch shooting and defense secured the victory. Vanderbilt ended the game on a 6-0 scoring run to ultimately defeat Arizona by 11-points. Against a formidable Commodores team, the Wildcats shown tenacity and resolve in spite of the defeat.

Williams set a season high of 20 points to lead the Wildcats and a career high of six steals. Additionally, she also put up five rebounds and hit three 3-pointers playing close to 39 minutes. Breya Cunningham also had a standout performance, setting a season high of 17 points with nine rebounds.

Game 2: Arizona vs. Cal

The Wildcats started off their second match of the tournament determined to secure a win against the Golden Bears. Many early fouls were called on both sides early in the game. Arizona kept up a high defensive pressure throughout the beginning of the first period to maintain the lead.

Cal caught up to the Wildcats and took the 37-31 lead going into halftime, storming through Arizona’s defense. The Golden Bears continued to dismantle Arizona in the third period, keeping a steady lead over the Wildcats. However, this did not stop Williams from helping her team attempt to secure the victory going into the fourth quarter.

Williams hit a shot from beyond the arc, narrowing the lead to single digits 66-58. Despite untimely plays from Arizona, Lauryn Swann came through in the clutch during the fourth period, making it a 6-point game with less than a minute remaining in regulation. A late foul on Montaya Dew gave Cal two free throws, ending the game in another Wildcat loss as Arizona fell 74-62.

Williams led Arizona in scoring, putting up 18 points, three rebounds and two assists, shooting 8-for-17. Notably, Sahnya Jah made her first career-start, leading second with 13 points, five rebounds and four steals. Skylar Jones also scored 12 points herself for Arizona, but it wasn’t enough. Cal was led by forward Ugonne Onyiah, who completed the night with a double-double consisting of 25 points and 13 rebounds.