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Although Mickayla Perdue had a career night scoring, Arizona women’s basketball head coach Becky Burke joked about a new facet to the graduate student guard’s game.

Perdue not only scored 34 points but took three charges in the Wildcats’ 89-70 win over Chicago State on Monday night at home.

“We're going to be real, I have not seen three charges from Micky Perdue since June in practice,” Burke said. “So the fact that she had three of them in the game, that's just another layer if she can, you know, contribute like that with some of those hustle plays and momentum plays. That’s, I think, what I was most proud of.

Arizona guard Mickayla Perdue (0) eyes the basket as Chicago State Cougars guard Keona McGee (11) defends in the first half during a game at McKale Center on Dec. 15, 2025.

“She makes shots every night, she does it, but I think defensively she had a much, much better presence and competitiveness and was making plays that had nothing to do with her scoring, which I was proud of her for.”

Perdue scored 34 points, had two rebounds and an assist in 39 minutes for the Wildcats (8-2).

“I just knew that they were a driving team,” Perdue said. “(Burke would) always preach midline, midline, midline, especially to me, because sometimes I’m not on the midline and I really want to focus on my defense’s game and I knew they were getting downhill, like I said, so I kind of just stepped over at the right time.”

Perdue’s 34 points are not only a UA record for her but the most she scored in her college career. She started at Toledo, where her best was 11 points, then she went to Division II Glenville State, where her scoring high was 30, and then she played at Cleveland State, where her record was 33 points.

The Springfield, Ohio, native credited her teammates for her output on Monday, like grad student guard Noelani “Lani” Cornfield. Going into Monday’s games, Cornfield ranked first in the Big 12 and third nationally in assists per game.

“A lot of my buckets were in transition, I feel like, and that’s a shout out to my teammates, Lani especially," Perdue said. "She had seven assists, probably most of them for me, but I mean they give me the ball when I'm hot and coach, she drew up some plays for me when I'm hot and it takes a lot to execute it, too, like screens, getting me the ball, stuff like that. So shout out to my teammates because without them giving me the ball and setting good screens I can't have a game like that.”

Perdue was 10 for 12 from the free-throw line, the second time this season she shot .833 from the charity stripe when she took at least six free throws.

“I feel like I'm pretty good on the free throw line usually,” Perdue said. “I mean, we do practice a lot of free throws, so I do get a lot of free throws up in practice and workouts and stuff, but, I'm confident that it's going in every time, so I just step up like that.”

Perdue scored 18 points in the first half as the UA built up an early lead on Chicago State. Although she had a couple 27-point games this season and one where she had 31, her scoring average going into the game was 17.2.

Arizona guard Noelani Cornfield (4) makes a drive towards the basket as Chicago State Cougars guard Aiyanna Culver (1) defends in the second half during a game at McKale Center on Dec. 15, 2025. Arizona won 89-70.

Cornfield chipped in 15 points. This season, Perdue and Cornfield have scored in double figures in all but two games.

Cornfield also had seven rebounds, seven assists and five rebounds.

“I feel like I'm usually all over the stat board every game,” Cornfield said. “That's just kind of what my game is, I try to just do anything I have to do to get a win.

“I’m pretty quick, small, I'm kind of everywhere,” she added. “I just find the ball, so I just gotta do whatever I gotta do to win, so that's what I did.”

Junior guard Tanyuel Welch was also important in the win over the Cougars, getting a double-double in her first start for the Wildcats. The Memphis transfer scored 18 points (her most as a Wildcat) and grabbed 10 rebounds.

“It started with her coming off the bench the last couple games and giving us really solid, good, meaningful minutes, where she's building my trust and that's what it's all about, coming in and doing your job and being steady and just making smart plays and being patient and poised and she's done that,” Burke said. “So when she's solid, doing what we ask her to do just builds trust game by game, practice by practice and so she had a great week of practice, was excited to see what she did with the start and was really happy with her 31 minutes.”

Arizona Wildcats guard Tanyuel Welch (11) eyes the basket as she’s defended by Chicago State Cougars guard Marisa Gant (21) in the first half at McKale Center on Dec. 15, 2025.

After getting two or three minutes early in the season, Welch has 30, 32 and 34 in the last three games.

It’s the second straight game Welch has gotten double-digit rebounds.

UA led the game wire to wire, and the only time it was tied was for the 13 seconds it was 0-0, but Chicago State did get to within 63-61 with 7:09 to go in the game.

Arizona responded with a 13-1 run and by holding the Cougars to a 3-minute scoring drought to put the game away and eventually win by almost 20, but Burke is hoping for less drama.

“I am grateful for the win and thankful for how we closed out the fourth quarter," Burke said. "I think we took it from two to 20 in a hurry, which was good, I'm just not excited to the fact that it was two at one point. Lots to watch on film, to get better at, lots to watch on film that we did well, but again, I think I just am looking forward to this team just being a little bit more consistent and coming in and just beating somebody, from start to finish and not making it as interesting as we love to make it and I feel like those days are ahead of us. But, we just, were not there quite yet but ultimately, we won, that was that was the plan, stretch it to about 20, which I'm excited for them about.”

The loss was Chicago State’s (1-10) ninth in a row. The Cougars’ win was 59-54 over Winthrop in their lone home game of the season so far.

CSU is 0-8 in road games and 0-2 in neutral tilts.

Up next, Arizona closes out its nonconference slate with Bellarmine (2-9) at home on Thursday night. The game is 11 days after Bellarmine's 78-73 loss to Tennessee-Chattanooga but the Knights, who are from Louisville, Ky., are on a six-game losing streak.

Rim shots

– Thursday’s game is the Wildcats’ annual Teddy Bear Toss. At halftime, fans will throw new stuffed toys they brought and the UA will donate them. Thursday is also “Holiday Hoops” and ornaments will be given out.

– Arizona wore its gray uniforms for the first time this season. The Wildcats are 7-2 in the whites, having only played at home so far this year.

– Arizona’s NET ranking was 166 going into the game, Chicago State’s 331.

– With the win over the Cougars, UA improved to 2-1 against HBCUs this season. The other HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges or Universities) UA has played this season are Grambling State, an 85-64 win, and Southern, its first loss of the season, 63-57.

– Wildcats Radio 1290 reported that Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher was at the game to cheer on his niece, Chicago State junior forward Kace Urlacher. Kace Urlacher scored 4 points before fouling out. Brian Urlacher was college roommates with UA football defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales at New Mexico.

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