Arizona women’s basketball falls to GCU despite career high by Breya Cunningham

Arizona head coach Adia Barnes was concerned about the Wildcats’ energy at practice on Wednesday afternoon. The team was preparing for GCU, an opponent that has exploited the very problem the Wildcats have had all season: turnovers.

Arizona came into the game averaging 19.9 turnovers per game. GCU has forced their opponents into 18.4. The Wildcats kept it slightly under their average, but 17 turnovers, nine missed free throws, and an inability to keep up with Trinity San Antonio were enough to give the Lopes a 69-66 win in the two programs’ first-ever matchup.

“I thought GCU did a really good job of making it really hard to guard them off the dribble,” Barnes said. “We were exploited in the second half, for sure, just isolating us in different pick and roll situations, spreading the floor and misdirecting us and isolating for right hand drives, and we really couldn’t find an answer for it. I thought first half, we did some really good things. I thought that we were really good on the boards. Our guards were offensive rebounding and putting back, and then it was just halted in the second half.”

San Antonio, one of 12 transfers on the 15-player GCU roster, was superb. She had a double-double with 26 points on 9 for 13 shooting, 12 rebounds, four assists, and four steals. The only downsides to her game were the eight turnovers she committed.

She often found the lane wide open for layups. At times, she went coast-to-coast off made baskets and still beat the Arizona defense.

“23 is a quick player,” said Arizona forward Breya Cunningham. “She’s very fast. Their whole thing was just to get the ball in fast and run the ball. So she’s beating us down.”

The loss was Arizona’s second to an in-state mid-major this season after losing to NAU last month.

“That’s bad,” Barnes said.

The Wildcats had five players in double figures. They shot slightly better from the field than GCU. They had two fewer turnovers and scored three more points off turnovers. They had seven more second-chance points. Their bench outscored GCU’s bench by 10. They led for almost 28 minutes of the game. None of it mattered.

“Our offense was good in the first half,” Barnes said. “We took some runs. I think it was good. I think…our approach and our reaction the second half—when they went on a run, we never reacted, got a stop, or we took bad shots and it led to a fast break run. So I think when you’re more experienced, let’s say, you don’t take those quick shots. You get the ball reversed because you understand, like, okay, they’re killing us in transition. Let’s use a better offense. We didn’t get that. The ball stuck, then it’s bad shots that led to the fast breaks. So, an unorganized offense is an unorganized defense.”

In addition to the turnovers and poor shot selection in the second half, the Wildcats hit just 52.6 percent of their free throws. Arizona went 10 for 19 from the line. Until they began fouling the Lopes at the end of the game, the free throw attempts were roughly even.

The Arizona players were also affected by the high two-three zone in the second half.

“We struggled getting open,” said guard Paulina Paris. “Obviously, we struggled finding Breya, who was hot this game.”

The extension of the zone was the biggest problem for the Wildcats

“Even against the zone in the first half, we were getting (Breya) the ball, but because they extended it, we did not,” Barnes said. “We didn’t understand the concept of attacking the gaps. So we’re just dribbling. Have to attack the gas, especially if it’s high, if we get the ball to the baseline, you’re gonna be open because they’re in a 3-2. We couldn’t even get to the corners because we couldn’t start initially and reverse the ball.”

Arizona’s other Achilles heel—fouls in the post—didn’t rear its head until later i” the game. Cunningham has picked up two fouls in the first quarter of four games this season. Against the Lopes, she didn’t pick up her second until the third quarter, but she had her fourth with over four minutes left in the game.

Cunningham had a career-high 20 points to go with six rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. She went 10 for 13 from the field but missed all five of her free throws. In a game decided by three points, it was a dagger.

She wasn’t the only one to miss free throws, though. Skylar Jones went 5 for 11 from the field but missed both of her free throws. Jones ended with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, and three steals. However, she also had four fouls and a team-high five turnovers.

The Wildcats had a scare with 7:33 left in the game. Point guard Jada Williams had to be helped off the floor after rolling her ankle. Williams has a nagging foot injury that stretches back to last season, but this looked like it might take her out of the game and possibly more.

Instead, the guard went back to the locker room, got her ankle taped, and returned. The crowd roared with approval as she took the floor again at the 5:47 mark.

Williams hit a clutch 3-pointer that cut the lead to three points with 15 seconds left in the game. It was one of only two makes on the night, although she ended with 11 points. Most of her points came from the line where she went 6 for 7. She added six rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Williams also had three turnovers.

Freshman guard Lauryn Swann gave Arizona all of its bench points. She scored 11 points on 4-for-8 shooting, including going 3 for 6 from beyond the arc. She had two rebounds and two assists but also contributed four of the Wildcats’ turnovers.

The Wildcats played shorthanded for the second straight game. Starting forward Isis Beh remained in concussion protocol. Sahnya Jah was also “unavailable” for the game. Barnes said both should be back for the next game, but it left them shorthanded in the frontcourt.

Montaya Dew started at the four. Barnes tried both Jorynn Ross and Katarina Knežević for brief periods, but none of the three were very effective.

“This is game we really needed four, because they played small, like a 5-11 four and then the shooting four,” Barnes said. “Sometimes we’d play two fives. It’s hard for us to guard a versatile post player. Then, Montaya, it wasn’t her night. She had to be a little bit more physical. And it’s okay, there’s going to be those nights, but then we need to have someone off the bench. We didn’t have a four off the bench.”

Dew ended with two points, five rebounds, three assists, and one block. She also had three turnovers. Ross’ only positive stat was a steal. Knežević recorded one turnover in her minute of play.

GCU took the lead with 2:05 to go in the game. By that time, Arizona had four starters with four fouls each. It made it even more difficult to guard a player like San Antonio. Ultimately, though, Barnes felt it was about toughness and decision-making.

“A little bit more toughness down the stretch, handling the pressure, we win the game, but we weren’t able to,” Barnes said. “They did a great job of not allowing us to.”

Arizona has two more nonconference games before it starts Big 12 play. The first will be against Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. MST in McKale Center.