The Arizona women’s basketball team dropped its second straight home game on Sunday, falling to the University of New Mexico, 72-69.
It follows the team’s 63-57 loss on Wednesday against Southern University.
New Mexico out-rebounded Arizona 44-32, gaining multiple opportunities off the glass. Arizona left 10 points on the floor in missed free throws, going just 17 for 27 shots from the charity stripe.
After clawing their way back to within reach a couple of times, the Wildcats missed a chance to tie the game in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, failing to make a successful play, handing the ball off to New Mexico.
“We had some self-inflicted wounds today,” Arizona head coach Becky Burke said post-game. “Some things I think we can control, do a little bit better. I felt like we kind of let it slip a little bit from us and missed some easy opportunities. We could’ve easily put ourselves in a position to win the game.”
“We needed three and they gave us two (free throws), but I think we panicked a little bit, didn’t run it exactly how I would have liked it, but I actually should have called another timeout,” Burke said.
Arizona guard Noelani Cornfield (4) wins a loose ball in the air during the game at McKale Center, Dec. 7.
Graduate guard Noelani Cornfield filled the stat sheet for Arizona, leading with 20 points on 6-for-12 shooting, including going 8-for-11 from the free-throw line. Cornfield brought down six rebounds and led in assists and steals with seven and five, respectively.
“As a point guard, it’s my job to take care of the ball,” Cornfield said. “I know what my role is and what I need to do with the ball and so, that was at the forefront today.”
Redshirt junior guard Tanyuel Welch had her best game in a Wildcat uniform, putting up 16 points and pulling down seven rebounds.
“I’ve just been patient, you know. I’m not afraid of hard work, working hard in general,” Welch said. “The biggest thing for me is to go out there and do everything as hard as I can, be whatever I need to be for my team and everything else will come.”
A season-high crowd of over 6,000 people came to support the team against the Lobos.
Arizona came out ready to defend, forcing New Mexico to miss its first 3-point attempt. Freshman guard Mireia Jurado sank a 3-pointer, tying the game at 7, followed by a traveling violation called on New Mexico’s next play.
Arizona head coach Becky Burke watches her team from the sidelines during the match against New Mexico at McKale Center, Dec. 7.
But Arizona's defense lacked urgency, allowing the Lobos five successful possessions early in the first quarter. The Wildcats responded with a 6-0 scoring run, capped off by Nora Francois scoring a layup off a New Mexico error.
The Lobos made seven straight shots of their own, leading 19-15 with three minutes left in the first before freshman forward Daniah Trammell ended Arizona’s three-minute scoring drought with a layup. That narrowed the gap to one possession before the Lobos found a 9-point advantage.
Arizona ended the beginning period trailing 26-19 thanks to a driving layup from Welch.
Throughout the game, the Lobos played with confidence, forcing Arizona to miss easy layups and attempting long-range 3-pointers on their end.
Despite the Wildcats forcing errors on New Mexico, Arizona scored just 8 points off eight forced turnovers.
Guard Mickayla Perdue drilled a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 36-33. Each team added six points to end the half at 42-39.
Arizona shot 45.5% from the field in the first half and was limited to 33.3% in the second half.
In the first half, Cornfield and Welch paced the Wildcats with 7 points apiece. Cornfield contributed across the board, gaining three rebounds, four assists and three steals in 20 minutes on the floor.
“We’re on a two-game losing streak right now. Point, blank, period,” Burke said. “We are practicing tomorrow like we are desperate. If we practice any other way tomorrow then we just don’t understand what every game means to this team.”
Trammell came out in the second half dominating Arizona’s offense, driving into the paint and scoring multiple times inside, including getting fouled on one of the shots. The 6-foot-1 forward gained a 2-point lead for Arizona after completing the 3-point play, staying ahead 42-44.
But Arizona’s offense started to disappear again as New Mexico built back a 7-point lead following a second-chance 3-pointer by Laila Abdurraqib.
The Wildcats came back multiple times but failed to get control of the score as New Mexico opened up a 59-52 edge entering the final period. The Lobos made it to the charity stripe six times in the third quarter, shooting a perfect 6-for-6.
Arizona forward Nora Francois (13) finds the pass as a New Mexico defender approaches during the game at McKale Center, Dec. 7.
The Wildcats came out firing in the fourth with a 6-0 run in the first minute and a half. Welch scored on the fast break for Arizona, forcing a 30-second New Mexico timeout.
The Lobos responded, lifting their lead back to 11 points after scoring on three possessions. With five minutes left in the game, Arizona had to figure out a way to gain stops and score quickly.
Francois stole the ball out of the Lobos’ hands, but the Wildcats couldn’t finish on the other end. Time was of the essence and New Mexico was using it to their advantage, running out the clock with every possession.
Off a bad pass turnover by Francois, the Lobos extended the lead to 10 points following a 3-pointer by Alyssa Hargrove with less than two minutes remaining.
Despite the Wildcats answering on the other end, Arizona never found the momentum to shut down the Lobos, allowing the lead to slip away.
Arizona went into the last 30 seconds of the game on a 7-0 run, getting back to within one possession.
With the clock winding down, the Wildcats fouled New Mexico twice, but with three seconds remaining, Arizona’s offense collapsed, turning the ball over to the Lobos in the final second.
