The University of Arizona women’s basketball team (16-12, 7-8 in Big 12) snapped its two-game losing streak, sweeping its series against BYU (13-13, 4-11 in Big 12) with a 65-57 victory on Wednesday, Feb. 19 in McKale Center at 6 p.m. The Wildcats previously beat the Cougars in a narrow 57-53 win during Arizona’s Big 12 home opener on Dec. 21, 2024, and followed up with another victory in their latest meeting.
Senior Isis Beh led the Wildcats with 14 points, four rebounds and three steals while going 7-for-8 from the free throw line. Breya Cunningham closely followed, scoring 11 points, eight boards, four blocks and two steals.
“Isis [Beh] continues to be one of our most consistent players […]. She’s playing at a high level,” head coach Adia Barnes said post-game.
Arizona started the game hot, winning the jump ball and immediately scoring on the first possession as Skylar Jones converted the layup to open the game. Freshman Lauryn Swann maintained the Wildcats’ lead after nailing a 3-pointer from long range, extending Arizona’s 9-6 advantage.
Following a media timeout, Arizona went on a 6-0 scoring run for the next two and a half minutes, capped off by a successful layup attempt from Cunningham to close the quarter up 16-7.
Arizona kept its foot on the gas to open the second period, stretching the lead to 23-11 before BYU called timeout to find an answer to slow down the Wildcat offense. Arizona continued to dominate on both ends of the floor, forcing BYU to turn the ball over seven times in the second quarter.
The two programs continued to trade baskets back-and-forth as BYU’s Brinley Cannon connected from beyond the arc at the buzzer, cutting the deficit to 37-21 at halftime.
Beh led the first half with 9 points, including 7 points scored in the second quarter and shooting 3-for-3 from the floor. Cunningham led second, scoring 8 points on 4-of-6 shooting and added three blocks.
The Wildcats started the second half with a slower pace, unable to score until the 8:06 mark after a layup taken by Cunningham. Moments following, Arizona was held scoreless for five-minutes as Beh ended the drought by going 2-for-2 from the line.
The Cougars outscored Arizona 15-6 in the third period, with Arizona shooting 2-for-15 from the floor and 0-for-6 from long range. The unimpressive 6 team points from the Wildcats tied their season-low in total points in a quarter during regulation.
In the closing quarter, however, Arizona came out firing after Jada Williams rattled home a 3-pointer and forced a BYU turnover. Jones converted on the untimely play, finishing at the rim for the easy layup, extending Arizona’s lead to 10 points and igniting the Wildcat offense.
Arizona went to the line 16 times in the final ten minutes, sinking 12 of those attempts, good enough for 75% to aid in halting the Cougars’ comeback.
The Wildcats’ defense played a vital role in forcing BYU to turn the ball over 21 times, generating 23 points off those turnovers. Notably 14 of those turnovers were steals. Additionally, Arizona’s second unit played a key role in Wednesday’s matchup, outscoring the Cougars bench 13-7.
“Coach [Barnes] said that today starts a new season […]. It’s good that we got to start with a sweep in our first time in the new conference,” Jones said.
Looking ahead
The Wildcats look to continue their winning ways as the team will travel to Houston, Texas as they take on the University of Houston on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. in the Fertitta Center.
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