For the third straight game, Arizona women’s basketball had somewhat of a slow start. For the second straight game, the Wildcats turned it on after the first quarter to win going away with a 85-64 defeat
of Grambling State on Sunday afternoon in McKale Center.
“Very just happy for our group,” said Arizona head coach Becky Burke. “I just told them in the locker room, winning is hard. Winning is hard at any level, against any team, and I’m just continuing to see improvement. Three games in, we’re just getting better and better every game. That is what this nonconference is for. I don’t care if we’re playing mid-majors, Power 4s, we’re staying in our lane and looking at our film and ourselves. And are we getting better? And are we building chemistry? And are we just continuing every single day to get better in certain categories that we’ve been focusing on?”
That doesn’t mean that falling in big holes early is comfortable for the coach or the players.
The Wildcats started the season against UC Riverside. They outscored the Highlanders by two in the opening frame, a game Arizona won by three. In the second game, they were down by five to UC Irvine after 10 minutes, but came back to handle the Anteaters by double digits. This time, they were behind by nine at the end of the first quarter before coming back for the 21-point win.
“It was 22-13 after the first quarter,” Burke said. “There’s eventually going to be a team that doesn’t let you close that gap and come back, and I don’t want to find out, right? And so it is a concern, absolutely, that we have these slow starts. But I do think this is a team that is, they’re comfortable when they get comfortable with the other team. So you can show as much film as you want. We live in the film room, right? But seeing their pressure, handling it, getting a feel for the game, that’s what this team does. But, like I said, we’ve got to do that quicker.”
Like Arizona’s last game, it was a tale of fouls. There were six Tigers and four Wildcats with two fouls in the first half. A seventh Tiger had three, with the third being one of many questionable charges called in the game against both teams. There were 27 fouls called in the first half and 51 in the game. The two teams combined for 47 free-throw attempts with Arizona taking 30 of those.
One advantage of the foul trouble was that some Wildcats got more minutes than they had in the first two games. With both of Arizona’s primary forwards picking up two fouls with considerable time left in the first half, Adde Adebanjo got into the game for two minutes. She hit a free throw, grabbed a rebound, and blocked a shot in those minutes. The free throw gave her the first points of her Arizona career.
Adebanjo ended her day with just over eight minutes on the court. She scored six points with four of them coming from free throws. She had one rebound and a block.
“She stays after practice every day and works out with Coach James [Ewing],” Burke said. “She’s just tremendously naturally gifted, and now we’re trying to catch the IQ up and trying to catch the speed of the college game over here…She makes plays that not a lot of people on our team can make…We’re going to need her for Big 12 play.”
Lani Cornfield’s two first-half fouls gave T Welch more minutes. Welch returned last game after an injury kept her out for the season opener, but she only played a few minutes. She played five in the first half against Grambling, getting two points and two rebounds. Her points came on her first bucket as a Wildcat.
Welch was one of four Wildcats to end with double-digit scoring. She joined Trammell and Micky Perdue, who tied for the team high with 15 each.
The fouls continued in the second half. Trammell and Sumayah Sugapong picked up their third fouls early in the third. Sugapong then picked up a fourth in short order and eventually fouled out, something that has plagued her at the start of her Arizona career.
“I think on the defensive end, if I’m not scoring, I just want to chip in wherever I can,” Sugapong said. “So maybe a little bit too over aggressive these last couple games. But I think those charges that I get, they do a lot for the team, so I’m still gonna stick with that aggressive defense.”
It was especially unfortunate for the Wildcats because Sugapong led the team in scoring in the first half. She had 12 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal in the first 20 minutes. She added one point, one rebound, and one assist in the second quarter.
The scoring was something Burke had wanted to see from her.
“I think I just came out with a scoring mindset today, just aggressive from the jump,” Sugapong said. “But, yeah, just first couple games, trying to find my footing, like picking my spots.”
Sugapong was subbed out for Welch, who continued her big game in the second half. Burke stuck with the Trammell, though, trusting her not to pick up her 3rd. The freshman big finally went out with less than 30 seconds to go in the third quarter. She still had just three fouls.
“D is something else,” Burke said. “She’s just a very, very, just incredible person, and she’s so fun to coach. Like, D has no idea she’s good at basketball…She just such a gifted athlete. She’s so—she just has a physicality about her. I think she’s missed like five shots in our three games, like total, and so show her efficiency is incredible. But just her physicality and how hard she plays and her motor. I mean, that gets you so far in college basketball, but we’ve been relying on her heavily, somebody that we can throw the ball to in the post and know that they’re going to be able to finish it.”
Welch continued her effective play in the second half. She tied MJ Jurado for the game high with eight rebounds. She scored 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting. She added one steal and one block.
“T’s another one that I’ve been challenging in a lot of different ways, and really was excited to see how, when she got an opportunity today, when she was gonna check in the basketball game,” Burke said. “Was she ready? Was she poised? Was she able to contribute in the ways that we needed her? And I thought from the jump, she came in the game and she set the tone defensively.”
Welch said the challenges have only motivated her.
“In all honesty, honestly, we did have a couple of tough conversations, but that’s just her wanting the best in me, and I appreciate it,” Welch said. “You know, she’s challenging me. She’s making me better on and off the court. And like I said, I really appreciate that.”
Burke said Welch’s contributions were especially important because Cornfield had a bit of a down game. Even with that down game, the point guard was a driving force in the win. She scored eight points and dished out 10 assists, ending just shy of her second straight double-double. She also had a steal and two rebounds.
“You notice when Lani is not on the floor,” Burke said. “Even if she is turning it over a little bit or not making her layups, you just notice when she’s not on the floor, because she’s such a steady presence with the basketball in her hands. I could say the same thing about Sumayah, too. Like when either those two are not on the floor, you just kind of notice a little bit of, you know, our timing might be a little bit off.”
The game commemorated Native American Heritage month, honoring Arizona’s 22 recognized native nations before the contest. Cornfield, a member of the Seneca Nation in New York, was also honored.
It was Arizona’s only game of the week. They will play their only game next week on Nov. 22, a contest that will see the return of Wildcat great Aari McDonald to McKale Center.
