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 in Provo, Utah. The Wildcats opened their Big 12 schedule undefeated and extended their winning streak to three-straight games.
Arizona started hot, shooting 47.1% from the floor in the opening quarter. The Wildcat defense held the Cougars to shoot just 27.3% 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 in the second period as the team struggled offensively, shooting 15.4% in the period, leading BYU to shoot 62.5% from beyond the arc. The Cougars outscored the Wildcats 22-7 in the second period, 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 and also earning 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 who dropped 6 third-quarter points on 3-for-4 shooting.
The Wildcats’ defense prevailed once again, holding BYU to shoot just 33.3% from the floor and 2-for-8 from the 3-point line while forcing five turnovers from the Cougars.
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% shooting and committed 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.
The Wildcats had a difficult shooting night, hitting only 63% at the free throw line and 17% from beyond the arc. On the other end, BYU shot better in both areas of the floor, shooting 33% from the 3-point line and 83% at the foul line. Despite BYU’s slight offensive advantage, Arizona responded in the paint by outscoring the Cougars 38-22 and capitalizing on BYU’s 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.
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