The University of Arizona women’s basketball team will play its second Big 12 conference game of the season against the University of Utah at home in McKale Center on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at noon. The Wildcats (10-4, 1-0 in Big 12) are coming off their first conference win in the Big 12 with a hard-fought 57-53 victory over BYU on Dec. 21.
Utah (10-2, 1-0 in Big 12) is also coming off its first conference win of the season and has won five consecutive games, with its last victory coming against ASU on Saturday, Dec. 21 in a dominating 102-82 win. The Utes are firing on all cylinders, recently defeating Princeton University, Utah State University and No. 3-ranked University of Notre Dame, all of which sit atop their respective conferences.
History vs. Utah
Tuesday’s game will mark the first matchup this season and the 34th all-time between the two programs. The Utes lead the series record 21-12, yet in their last encounter with the Wildcats on Jan. 7 Arizona won 71-70 in overtime. The Wildcats have won the last two matchups and are 7-3 in their last ten against the Utes.
Utah’s season
Utah began its season 2-0 before succumbing to its first loss in a tight road game against Northwestern University 71-69 on Nov. 14. The Utes bounced back, winning three straight games before suffering their second loss of the year to Mississippi State University on Thanksgiving, Nov. 28.
Since then, the Utes have won five consecutive games, their longest winning streak of the season. Utah upset Notre Dame 78-67 just two days after falling to Mississippi State and then went on to crush in-state rival Utah State 87-34 on Dec. 4.
The Utes then won their third straight game at home, 79-76, escaping a Princeton team on Dec. 8. On Dec. 14, Utah went on the road and beat the University of Washington Huskies by 10 points, before coming back home on Dec. 21 and dominating the Sun Devils by 20.
Utah players to watch
As a team, Utah averages 83.1 points per game and gives up only 60.4 points to its opponents.
Mentionable players to look out for include junior guard Gianna Kneepkens and forward Mayè Tourè, who have been exceptional this season for Utah.
Kneepkens leads the team in points scored, averaging 18.1 points per game on 49.2 shooting percentage. She also contributes an average of 3.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Tourè leads the team in blocks, averaging just shy of one a game (0.9) while also collecting 5.6 rebounds per game, complementing her average of 13.1 points per game.
Kneepkens is coming off two season-high performances, dropping 24 points in back-to-back games while shooting at least 50% from the floor against Washington and ASU. She also brought in seven rebounds against the Huskies and put up six rebounds and six assists against the Sun Devils.
Tourè has been nothing short of Kneepkens’ counterpart, delivering strong performances herself to support the team. In Tourè’s last four games, she has averaged 13.8 points, six boards and over a block a game, including three rejections provided against Utah State.
Wildcats to watch
Heading into the New Year’s Eve matchup, keep an eye out for a standout performance from Breya Cunningham. The sophomore forward, who has been red hot as of late, is coming off arguably her best game as a Wildcat after dropping a career-high 21 points, two blocks and eight rebounds in a thrilling victory against BYU.
In Cunningham’s last four games, she’s averaged 15 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.25 takeaways and almost two blocks a game. Not to mention, Cunningham leads the conference in field goal percentage, shooting 66.9% from the floor.
Another player to keep a lookout for is sophomore guard Skylar Jones. In her last four games, Jones has averaged 12.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game, shooting 62.5% from the field. Jones’ defensive prowess is showcased on all sides of the floor, including the perimeter, as the Wildcat is averaging 2.3 steals in her last four games. This opens many scoring opportunities in transition for Arizona, which averages 71.7 points per game. With Jones’ stellar play this season, she remains a crucial piece as the Wildcats try to remain undefeated in Big 12 play.
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