Although her team has played two exhibition games, Arizona women’s basketball coach Becky Burke is still in the information-gathering stage.
She made multiple changes to the starting lineup for the second exhibition contest, which the Wildcats won, but said afterward that “nothing is solidified moving forward.”
If there’s one constant, though, it’s point guard Noelani Cornfield. She’s been Burke’s coach on the court since last season.
Cornfield is the only player from Buffalo who followed Burke to Tucson. The 5-foot-6 graduate student from Gowanda, New York, has helped make Burke’s transition to a new program a lot smoother than it would have been without her.
“I thought I knew the value when I brought her,” said Burke, whose team opens the regular season against UC Riverside at 6 p.m. Thursday at McKale Center. “But ... it’s been astronomically more than I could have ever even thought. I’m so thankful that she’s here. I’m so happy that she’s here.
Arizona guard Noelani Cornfield, left, gets hit by West Texas A&M guard Randi Harding (4) on a drive during the fourth quarter of their exhibition game, Oct. 23, 2025, at McKale Center.
“She’s obviously tremendously talented. ... But from a culture standpoint, from a leadership standpoint, having somebody in the locker room that won 30 games with you last year and won a championship and has seen the process work, to be able to echo that inside the locker room, which she does every single day, has been critical. Not only that, but echo it on the baseline. Or be my assistant. She’s got more time with me than (most of) my assistants have, so she’s really been critical in our development as a team, our belief in what we’re doing.”
Cornfield led Arizona in several statistical categories in the two exhibition games, posting per-game highs in minutes (36.0), points (13.5), assists (3.5) and steals (4.0). She tied for second in rebounds (4.5) despite her lack of size.
“That’s been me my whole life, my whole game. I’m small and I’m quick,” Cornfield said. “Whatever I gotta do to get a win, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Cornfield helped Buffalo win the WNIT championship last season. She averaged 10.9 points, 5.9 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 steals. She led the Mid-American Conference in steals and ranked second in assists.
Arizona guard Noelani Cornfield (4) tries to get to the ball through Cal State LA guard Mason Oberg (23) after she crashed to the floor during the third quarter in their exhibition game, Oct. 30, 2025, in Tucson.
“She just does what she does,” Burke said. “She sets the tone. She sets the pace. You need a little run? You need some momentum? She’s gonna pick somebody’s pocket. She’s gonna make a hustle play.”
Cornfield began her college career at Northwest Florida State College, where she helped the Raiders win the NJCAA Division I championship in 2021. After two seasons there, she spent two more at Southern Mississippi.
Changes to the eligibility rules for junior-college athletes gave Cornfield a bonus year at Arizona. She only found out in January that she’d be able to play another season.
Cornfield, who has a master’s degree in criminology and aspires to work for the FBI, considers herself a perpetual underdog. She wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You want people to count you out,” Cornfield said, “because it just gives you more drive to prove everybody wrong.”
Arizona forward Nora Francois (13) looks for help as she tries to make the pass against the grain during the second quarter against Cal State LA in their exhibition game, Oct. 30, 2025, at McKale Center.
‘Playing for a cause’
Cornfield and fellow guard Sumayah Sugapong are certain starters if healthy. Burke is still trying to figure out a frontcourt rotation.
New Orleans transfer Nora Francois played just over two minutes in the exhibition opener. She played nearly 25 minutes in the second game and took advantage of the opportunity, scoring 10 points and snaring a game-high nine rebounds against Cal State LA.
While seated next to Francois for a postgame interview, Burke was asked about Arizona’s “bigs.”
“We got one sitting right next to me that did dang-near a double-double,” she said. “I challenged Nora this morning. I’ve challenged her for the last week in practice. We’ve had great conversations. But at the end of the day, we needed somebody to step up. I thought she came in and did her job at a high level. She wasn’t perfect either.”
Before the first exhibition game, Burke praised Francois’ skill level but noted that “she hasn’t played on a winning program or a winning team before.”
“We’re teaching her how to win,” Burke added.
Francois earned second-team All-Southland Conference honors at New Orleans last season, averaging 15.0 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. She had 17 rebounds against Texas Tech, scored 26 points against Baylor and had the first triple-double in the conference since 2019 against East Texas A&M.
The Privateers won only one of those games. They went 24-63 during Francois’ three seasons with the program.
What does it mean to learn how to win?
“I think that means playing outside of yourself, playing for a cause, playing for the win, not playing for your stats,” Francois said. “There’s this extra drive that is required to win. And when you have five people who want to be on the court and want to win ... that’s when you’ll find success.”
Re: Riverside
UC Riverside opened its season Monday with a 56-53 loss at Cal Baptist.
The Highlanders shot just 29.2% from the field, while the Lancers connected on just 24.6% of their shots. Cal Baptist attempted twice as many free throws (24-12) and made 10 more (16-6).
UC Riverside went 17-15 last season, including a 12-8 mark in the Big West. Under third-year head coach Brad Langston, the Highlanders are coming off back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2017.
Arizona and UC Riverside have played five times, most recently in 2019. The Wildcats have a 4-1 record in the series.
