Arizona women's hoops’ final nonconference opponent, Bellarmine, didn’t have many bodies available Thursday night — seven, to be exact.
But five of the Knights who were able to play are at least 6 feet tall. That enabled Wildcats coach Becky Burke to use a lineup configuration she’d been longing to try — and one she knows she’ll need when Big 12 play begins Monday.
Burke put two bigs on the court for extended periods during Arizona’s 105-59 victory over Bellarmine. Daniah Trammell (6-foot-1) Nora Francois (6-2), Blessing Adebanjo (6-3) and Achol Magot (6-7) played together in various combinations throughout the game. Before Thursday, that rarely had happened.
“I thought it went really well,” said Burke, who notched her 100th career Division I victory as a head coach. “We haven't done it yet, and this actually was the first game where it was a really good matchup for us to be able to do it.
“Playing the nonconference schedule that we did, we were playing a lot of small teams. So at times it wasn't great matchups for Achol or ‘Adde’ (Adebanjo), let alone them together. So this was the first time where we actually played a team that had a couple true post players that played at the same time. It allowed us to put two bigs in and see what happened.
Arizona forward Achol Magot (20) shoulders her way through Bellarmine forward Andrea Chiquemba (14) for a basket during the fourth quarter of their game, Dec. 18, 2025, in Tucson.
“I was very pleasantly surprised. And I'll be definitely optimistic moving forward that this is something that we can trust and go to because we're going to need the size, physicality, length, ability to rebound as we enter Big 12 play.”
Arizona (9-2) opens its conference schedule against Utah at noon Monday at McKale. Almost every team the Wildcats face in the Big 12 will be bigger and stronger than the opponents they’ve played so far. That will create opportunities for Magot and Adebanjo, neither of whom had played as many as 10 minutes before Thursday.
Magot played a season-high 14 minutes against Bellarmine and had a career-high 10 points to go along with five rebounds. Adebanjo played a season-high 21 minutes and had six points, a career-best 11 rebounds, two blocks and a steal.
Magot, who’s from Tucson, celebrated some of her made baskets with enthusiastic fist pumps. The transfer from Texas Tech had been waiting for a night like this.
“It felt really good,” said Magot, who began her high school career at Salpointe Catholic and also attended Sunnyside. “I'm at home (with my) coach, my teammates, my family. It was really exciting. And the crowd gets me super fired up, as well.”
Arizona forward Blessing Adebanjo (14), right, claws away a shot by Bellarmine forward Andrea Chiquemba (14) during the second quarter of their game, Dec. 18, 2025, in Tucson.
Adebanjo wasn’t sure she’d be able to play Thursday. She injured her right leg against Eastern Kentucky on Dec. 10 and sat out Monday’s game against Chicago State.
She got only one full practice in before playing against Bellarmine with a sleeve on her leg.
“I can't believe I can run on the court, because I've been having issues with my leg,” Adebanjo said. “I'm just surprised. I'm grateful. ... I just never gave up.”
Adebanjo is from Nigeria. She joined the Wildcats in early September after transferring from a university in Japan, where she spent the past few years playing and going to school.
Thursday marked the first time she won the “Dawg of the Game” award.
“It has nothing to do with statistics,” Burke said. “Who set the tone from a competitiveness standpoint? It could come down to hustle plays. It could come down to just who was flexing on somebody when they got an and-1, who dove on the floor and got the first loose ball.
“It's the little plays that nobody would see on this (the box score), that you guys wouldn't write about or recognize — but somebody who set the tone from a competitiveness standpoint, a play-hard standpoint, maybe changed the momentum of the game.
“I just thought Adde deserved it tonight because she's hardly practiced at all. She goes in and plays 20 minutes, which is the most she's played all season, and grabs 11 boards.”
‘These aren’t my 100 wins’
Burke has won 183 games as a head coach. The first 83 wins came on the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels.
She’s 100-62 (.617) as a Division I coach with USC Upstate, Buffalo and Arizona.
Burke deflected all credit to her supporting cast.
“It means a lot,” said Burke, who addressed and thanked the crowd immediately after the game. “It means I've had really good players and a lot of smart people around me.
“I just love doing this. I love winning. I want to keep winning. I want 100 more.
Arizona guard Sumayah Sugapong (3) and head coach Becky Burke enjoy the run of play in the early going against Bellarmine, Dec. 18, 2025, at McKale Center.
"But these aren't my 100 wins. It's every staff that I've had. It's all the great players that I get to coach. There might be 100 wins on my résumé, but I didn't score any points.
“I love my job ... I love winning, and I’m thankful that I've been able to do that 100 times because of the people I've surrounded myself with.”
Becky’s buddy
Burke’s 100th DI win came at the expense of her former teammate at Louisville, Monique Reid, Bellarmine’s head coach. The two came in together, played on a Final Four team as freshmen and have been close friends ever since.
“That was my best friend in college,” said Burke, who chatted with Reid for several minutes before tipoff. “Her and I were always in the gym together. We just had dinner a couple weeks ago when I went back (to Louisville).
“It’s just ... a lifelong friendship, relationship, family. When you build bonds at a place like this or Louisville, it’s for life.
“That score is not an indication of the good job she’s doing with that team. They’re banged up. They don’t have bodies right now. I feel for her. She’s doing a really good job, and I’m proud of her.”
Arizona guard Tanyuel Welch (11) pinballs her way through the lane under Bellarmine center Haya Abdel Aal (13), left, and guard Rose Jamison (7), Dec. 18, 2025, in Tucson.
Rim shots
— Arizona eclipsed 100 points for the first time since Nov. 10, 2022, when it defeated NAU 113-56.
— Six Wildcats scored in double figures, led by Tanyuel Welch, who had a team-high 18 points. Noelani Cornfield had 15 points and a game-high eight assists. Trammell added 13 points, Kamryn Kitchen had 12 and Mireia Jurado matched Magot with 10.
— Guard Sumayah Sugapong, who had started each of the first 10 games, did not play because of a coach’s decision, Burke said. She expects Sugapong to be back in the rotation vs. Utah.
— Bellarmine (2-10) came to Tucson with eight healthy players, according to the ESPN+ broadcast. The Knights played with only seven as leading scorer Triniti Ralston did not suit up due to a coach’s decision, per ESPN+.
— The UA held its annual holiday “Teddy Bear Toss” at halftime. Fans threw hundreds of teddy bears onto the court, all of which will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Tucson.
