The Arizona women’s basketball team rallied in the second half but couldn’t finish the job against hot-shooting Kansas.
The Jayhawks defeated the Wildcats 80-69 Tuesday night at McKale Center. Kansas shot 55% from the field and made 8 of 17 3-pointers in handing Arizona its third consecutive defeat.
Arizona guard Sumayah Sugapong (3) swipes the ball from Kansas forward Lilly Meister (52) in a scramble during the first quarter of their Big 12 Game, January 20, 2026, Tucson, Ariz.
The Wildcats fell to 10-8, 1-6 in Big 12 play. The Jayhawks snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 12-8, 2-6.
UA redshirt freshman Kamryn Kitchen tied her career high with 16 points and sparked Arizona’s comeback in the third quarter. Kitchen’s back-to-back 3-pointers highlighted a 12-0 run that turned a double-digit deficit into a 53-all tie with 1:51 left in the period.
The Wildcats had another chance to tie early in the fourth quarter after Sumayah Sugapong (17 points) stole the ball near midcourt. But Sugapong missed the layup.
The Jayhawks gradually pulled away, scoring more than half (11) of their fourth-quarter points (21) from the foul line. Arizona was plagued by foul trouble, getting whistled for 29 fouls to Kansas’ 15.
Three Wildcats — Sugapong, Nora Francois and Achol Magot — fouled out. Two others — Noelani Cornfield and Blessing Adebanjo — finished with four fouls.
Kansas forward Jaliyah Davis, who has won the past three Big 12 Freshman of the Week awards, had a game-high 25 points.
Arizona visits Iowa State (14-5, 2-5) on Saturday. The Cyclones have lost five games in a row. They host Cincinnati on Wednesday night.
