Arizona WBB can’t complete rally; falls 60-57 in exhibition to West Texas A&M

The Becky Burke era in Tucson got off to a less than ideal, albeit, unofficial start at the McKale Center on Thursday. Arizona fell to Division II West Texas A&M 60-57 in an exhibition match as the Wildcats took the floor for the first time as a new team and staff.

Arizona trailed by as many as 18 in the third quarter, before outscoring the Buffs 20-to-8 in the final frame as it looked to mount a comeback with two opportunities under five seconds to tie the game and force overtime.

Cats by the Stats

The Wildcats shot 21-of-61 (34.4%) from the field, including just 1-of-12 from beyond the arc, but 14-of-17 from the free throw line. Arizona allowed the Buffs to shoot 22-of-62 (35.5%) from the field, including 6-of-30 from 3-point range. The UA lost the rebounding and assist battles 45-37 and 10-6, but forced 16 turnovers, including eight steals. With the rebounding struggles, Arizona gave up 17 second chance points, but was able to translate West Texas A&M’s 16 turnovers in 14 points.

“That’s 100 percent a toughness category, and a want to, and discipline, and I will own that and that is completely on me as a head coach to get corrected,” said Burke postgame on Arizona’s rebounding struggles. “But we can’t lose any category that comes down to toughness or discipline or just a willingness to go get the basketball, which they had from start to finish.”

Experienced guards Lani Cornfield and Sumayah Sugapong led the Wildcats with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Cornfield, who played over 38 minutes, also accounted for four of Arizona’s eight steals, while Tanyuel Welch led the team with eight rebounds.

True freshmen Daniah Trammell and Mireia Jurado were pleasant surprises on the night, both contributing valuable minutes in their collegiate debuts. Trammell connected on 4-of-5 field goals for eight points, along with three rebounds and two steals in 15 minutes, while Jurado went 1-of-2 from the field and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe, finishing with five points and two rebounds in 21 minutes.

“Yeah, I thought Daniah was a really, really bright spot for us today,” said Burke after the game. “I thought MJ [Mireia Jurado] was a bright spot for us today. And I think there’s a couple positives we can take from this game and those two are two of them.”

Looking at the lineups

Heading into the game, it was clear that Burke would utilize a three-guard combo of Cornfield, Sugapong, and Mickayla Perdue, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year from Cleveland State. The not so clear part was the front court. Wing Tanyuel Welch got the start at the four, while 6-foot-7 Tucson native Achol Magot started at the five for the Wildcats.

Burke subbed often, looking for the right lineups and matchups to try and help the Wildcats overcome the deficit in the middle of the game.

“When we went on those two runs, it was the same lineup and that’s a good thing for us to find out in a game like this and figure out, okay, we need to play that lineup a little bit more next game because they’re effective in a certain way.”

What’s Next

Arizona hosts Cal State LA in its second exhibition game on Thursday, October 30, at 6:00 PM MST, before kicking off the regular season against UC Riverside on November 6. Similar to the exhibition against West Texas A&M, the game will not be televised or broadcast via radio, so fans that want to experience the game will have to be at the McKale Center in person.