Arizona women's basketball fell to the No. 4 Oklahoma State Cowgirls Sunday in front of a season-high crowd of 7,802 at McKale Center.
Despite a sixth consecutive loss for the Wildcats, the crowd served as a reminder of the unwavering support for the program even while the team works through this year’s rebuild.
Arizona guard Kamryn Kitchen (1) reacts after nailing a long range jumper for three points right out of the chute for the third quarter against Oklahoma State, Feb. 1.
Arizona came out with early momentum against the Cowgirls, shooting well in the opening minutes and feeding off the McKale energy. But the team couldn’t sustain it for a full 40 minutes, ultimately falling 88-69.
Arizona opened the game shooting 53% in the first quarter, putting early pressure on the Cowgirls.
“Credit to Arizona because they came out on fire,” OSU Head Coach Jacie Hoyt said. “They shot really well in that first quarter. I feel like their first five minutes, they just couldn’t miss. And we were a little bit late on some of our fall coverages and just just kind of late to the party.”
Arizona head coach Becky Burke said the Wildcats showed familiar moments of high level execution and effort, but once again struggled with consistency.
“Glimpses aren’t going to be enough for this year’s team,” said Burke. “It’s going to take us putting together a 40-minute game, which again, we didn’t do tonight.”
A key offensive contributor for OSU was Stailee Heard, who Hoyt described as a “Swiss Army knife,” pointing to her ability to score inside, knock down threes, rebound and be an overall asset anywhere on the court.
Heard and OSU guard Micah Gray combined for 23 points apiece.
Burke noted the strong effort by Sumayah Sugapong, who scored 25 points and “played her absolute butt off.”
Arizona guard Sumayah Sugapong (3) forces her way past the defense of Oklahoma State guard Haleigh Timmer (13) on her way along the baseline, Feb. 1, at McKale Center.
Three other UA players scored in double digits: Nora Francois had 11 points while Kamryn Kitchen and Noelani Cornfield each scored 10.
This is the third conference game that Kitchen has scored in the double digits, including adding 16 against Kansas at home on Jan. 20. Burke has been leaning more heavily on Kitchen, who started on Sunday and has seen her playing time increase over the last several games; she played 39 minutes against ASU and 37 on Sunday after getting limited play time in the early conference games against BYU, Colorado and TCU.
Sugapong noted that their defense was at its best when they executed a new all screen coverage implemented this week. It allowed them to be “moving and rotating on the fight of the ball as one” while finishing possessions with box outs.
Burke was especially vocal postgame about the crowd, thanking fans for showing up despite the string of losses, calling Arizona “a very, very special and unique place.” She said Sunday’s season record attendance did not go unnoticed by the staff or players.
Arizona head coach Becky Burke talks to the Wildcats in a time out early during the third quarter of their Big 12 game against Oklahoma State, Feb. 1.
“We don’t take it lightly,” Burke said, adding that the support is something she hopes continues as the team works towards putting everything together.
This was OSU’s first trip to McKale, which Hoyt called “really, really cool.”
The Wildcats have a few days off before Wednesday’s meeting with Kansas State, which gave Arizona State its first home loss in Tempe on Sunday. The win ended the K-State Wildcats' (12-11, 5-5 in conference play) two-game losing streak.
