Breya Cunningham just keeps finding ways to make her presence known.
In Saturday’s Big 12 opening road win, 57-53 over BYU, she was dominant on both ends of the court.
Cunningham, not only scored a career-high 21 points going 10 for 15 from the field, she also pulled down eight rebounds, blocked two shots, picked a pair of steals and scored the game-winning basket on a put back with a little more than 21 seconds left in the game.
And after picking up two fouls in the first half and playing only 12 minutes, she stayed on the court in the second half without any more fouls.
Still, having her out in the second quarter, “really changes the dynamics,” Arizona coach Adia Barnes said.
But when she’s on the floor, it’s really hard for her opponent to stop her — even with multiple defenders on Cunningham.
“I thought in the second half she had a lot of fade away shots that weren’t the best, but then she stuck with the offensive rebound and then she was able to play without fouling, which is really important, and that’s something she could not do last year,” Barnes said. “Then had some key blocks.
Arizona Wildcats forward Breya Cunningham (25) makes a move towards the basket as she’s defended by Seattle Redhawks guard Candy Edokpaigbe (23) in the first half during a game in McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. on Dec. 2, 2024.
“She had two key blocks in the second half, which I was kind of mad. She went for them, because those could be fouls. Then she came up with a big jump ball. Those were plays that she wouldn’t have made before, and she’s getting better. I feel bad for her, because she’s always almost a double-double, but she’s always like, ‘I’m off the double-double,’ but she’s been solid.”
Cunningham has been close in so many games. She’s had eight or more rebounds in eight games this season and only picked up the double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds in the first game against UT-Arlington.
A mighty big rebound
Freshman guard Mailien Rolf pulled down four rebounds – all defensive – but one that stood out was one of the most important plays of the game. With 12.6 seconds left, Rolf went up strong and held onto the ball, dribbling and was quickly fouled.
She earned every minute – 17 of them against BYU — and you can bet that they’ll be more minutes going forward.
Arizona guard Mailien Rolf (13) and the Wildcats warm up before facing Tarleton State in an early season game on Nov. 7, 2024.
“Mailien was solid,” Barnes said. “The other thing that was big about Mailien was she was playing great defense in the second half. She was the only one denying when they were going off guard-to-guard action, Mailien’s girl wasn’t catching it. She did a phenomenal job. … She was confident with the ball. She ran actions we were supposed to when I said, ‘Throw it back,’ she was throwing it back. She had a great pocket pass to Breya. … I was very, very happy for her. I told her in the game, ‘You did an awesome job.’”
Home crowd
It was another hometown visit for a Wildcat. First, it was Cunningham playing in San Diego. Next was Skylar Jones playing in Chicago and Saturday it was Isis Beh’s turn. Beh, the Murray, Utah native, was playing less than 40 minutes from home and scored the final basket.
It was on an inbounds pass from Montaya Dew. With no one around her, Beh went in for the layup as time expired. It was only fitting.
“Isis did a great job,” Barnes said. “She had like 50 people here and she was just solid. She was great defensively. She’s just always solid and consistent. I was happy to see that, because a lot of times she doesn’t look at the basket. I always tell (her) to be more aggressive offensively, but she does a great job of feeding Breya. She does a great job of running our stuff. Really good in pick and roll situations. I was happy for her. Her whole family’s here, and they’re great people, and I’m glad she got to play here.”
Arizona forward Isis Beh (33) comes in to congratulate guard Skylar Jones (4) after she picked up an and-one on the games first basket in the first quarter against Tarleton State, Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 7, 2024.
A big win
For the Wildcats, taking the win at BYU was an important step in the season. While there were lapses and mistakes during the game – especially giving up a 14-0 run in the second quarter with most of those points (11) coming off the hot hand of freshman Delaney Gibb – hanging in, gutting it out and adjusting in the second half showed the character of this Wildcat squad.
For the Wildcats getting their first Big 12 win in their league debut was also a confidence booster, especially heading into a holiday break.
“For a coach, I know the way you start right before Christmas, right after finals, it’s always a really hard game … because everyone’s focused on going home,” Barnes said. “… It was really important for us to get this win because we have a long break after and just momentum going into the conference. Those things are really important. We have a young team and I’m glad we were able to steal this game on the road. I think BYU is a really good team.”
Rim shots
Pro ‘Cats: Shaina Pellington was named guard of the year in the FIBA African Women’s Basketball League, playing in Rwanda this season. She averaged 18.2 points, 6 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Tradition: The Wildcats traditional celebration after a road win of getting ice cream continued Saturday night. This time it was Yogurtland. Arizona posted a photo of Rolf and Ajae Yoakum, who is out with a season-ending injury, on the Instagram account with the caption: “Sprinkles are for winners!”
California, California: Three former Pac-12 teams in California are showing out. Both Los Angeles schools are ranked in AP’s Top 10 in the nation. Saturday night, No. 7 USC went into Hartford, CT, and defeated No. 4 UConn, 72-70. Up until this game, both teams had only lost once … to No. 3 Notre Dame.
Meanwhile, No. 1 UCLA is 12-0, having knocked off South Carolina and Louisville. On Friday night, the Bruins beat Creighton, 70-41, in the Invisalign Bay Area Women’s Classic at the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Cal is also ranked at No. 24, only dropping one game so far to Michigan State and cruising through Stanford, Gonzaga, Alabama and Arizona.
A look back: Barnes has won both matchups with BYU during her tenure as coach at Arizona. The last time these two teams met was during the 2021 NCAA Tournament when the Wildcats knocked off the Cougars, 52-46, to move onto the Sweet Sixteen. Sam Thomas hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 3:47 left in the game. Aari McDonald notched a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds), plus had four steals and three assists. Cate Reese chipped in 12, with Trinity Baptiste pulling down 11 rebounds.
