The University of Arizona women’s basketball team (15-11, 6-7 in Big 12) lost 83-64 to No. 20 Oklahoma State University (20-4, 10-3 in Big 12) on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla.
The Wildcats ended the first half down by eight points, 37-29. Isis Beh kept the Cats afloat by scoring 17 points, going 8-9 in field goals in the first half. Behind her, junior Paulina Paris added seven points, four assists and one rebound.
On the other hand, Oklahoma State had every player that touched the court in the first half help the team claim the lead early on. Stailee Heard contributed the most with 10 points, four rebounds and went 3-5 in free throws.
The Wildcats struggled the most with turnovers, committing a total of 16 throughout the game. These turnovers led to the Cowgirls scoring 19 points. They also racked up 17 fouls which did not help the Cats on defense. Skylar Jones and Beh had some foul trouble, with both committing three fouls.
Starters like Breya Cunningham and Mailien Rolf didn’t contribute that much for the Wildcats with both only contributing two points each. Cunningham fouled out at the start of the fourth quarter after committing five personal fouls.
The Wildcats struggled on the boards as well with only six offensive rebounds, leading to nine second-chance points.
Beh continued her excellence throughout the game leading the Wildcats with 24 points, three rebounds, one steal and one assist. Following behind her, Paris contributed a total of 15 points for the Wildcats along with five assists and two rebounds.
Oklahoma State’s Micah Gray had a standout performance with 20 points, one steal and a perfect night from the free throw line, going 3-3. Heard continued charging ahead for the Cowgirls with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Arizona ended the game on a cold streak missing its last six field goal attempts. The Wildcats would go the final 4:35 without a field goal, killing their chance of coming back and securing the win.
This loss continues the dry spout for Arizona versus Oklahoma State, as the Wildcats are now 0-3 all-time against the Cowgirls.
Looking Ahead
The Wildcats are heading back home as they will face No.11 TCU in McKale Center on Sunday, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m. in McKale Center.
