KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 21: Arizona Wildcats Sumayah Sugapong during the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Media Days on October 21, 2025 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
West Texas A&M is a very good Division II women’s basketball team that gives lots of DI programs a good fight in exhibition games. Still, it was a surprise to see the Buffaloes come out and go up by as many as 18 points against the Arizona Wildcats in McKale Center. Not only did the Buffaloes lead for most of the game, but they closed it out 60-57 despite a furious comeback attempt by the Wildcats in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously not the result that we wanted or that that we’re proud of, or that is acceptable to us, but obviously needed, I think, in a lot of different ways,” said Arizona head coach Becky Burke. “And I saw a lot of really upset and hurt players in our locker room, which I think is a really good sign as far as our competitiveness goes, and the fact that this thing is real, right? We knew that this was a really good team, with almost everybody returning and a bunch of good new pieces they got this year.”
It wasn’t just the loss. It was how it happened. The Buffs, who start four guards and a 5-foot-11 post player, outrebounded the Wildcats 45-37.
“That’s 100 percent a toughness category and a want to and a discipline and I will own that,” Burke said. “And that is completely on me as a head coach to get corrected. It is something we talk about, it is something we practice, it is something that we preach. And so obviously I’ve got to find another way to wake them up. If this wasn’t enough, which I believe that this will be, but we can’t lose any category that comes down to toughness or discipline or just a willingness to go get the basketball.”
The Wildcats, who need to be lockdown defenders this year to make up for some of their disadvantages, allowed WT to shoot over 40 percent in the two quarters when the lead got out of hand.
Arizona also got into foul trouble despite the officials letting a lot go. At times the game looked downright dangerous because of the fouls that went uncalled. Still, starters Sumayah Sugapong and Achol Magot fouled out while reserve Daniah Trammell ended with four fouls.
The Wildcats fell behind early. They trailed by nine after the first quarter when they shot just 25 percent from the field. They cut into the lead in the second by getting stronger on the defensive end. After letting the Buffs shoot 44.4 percent in the first 10 minutes, UA held them to 35.3 percent in the second.
The Buffs were still able to add to their lead in the second frame by going 3 for 10 from the 3-point line. Arizona shot 41.7 percent in the second quarter, but all of the shots came from inside the arc. That allowed WT to win the quarter 13-10 and go into the locker room leading 33-21.
The second half mirrored the first. Arizona did not come out strong and hit just 28.6 percent of its shots. WT went 6 for 14 and went ahead by 18 with 4:59 left in the quarter. It was 52-37 after 30 minutes of play.
The Wildcats finally got busy when their backs were against the wall. They began to turn the Buffs over. They also had their best offensive quarter, hitting 7 of 16 shots from the floor and 6 of 7 free throws. It was too little too late.
The Wildcats got within three. They had two quality opportunities to tie it in the final 30 seconds, but Micky Perdue missed both shots on what was a cold-shooting night for her.
“When we went on those two runs it was the same lineup and and that’s a good thing for us to find out in a game like this and figure out, okay, we need to play that lineup a little bit more next game, because they’re effective in a certain way,” Burke said. “So I think those runs were lineups, but also think those runs were the defensive end when we were getting stops.”
Burke subbed liberally, especially in the first half. At times, players came in for just one possession and then went back to the bench. The cause was different in each case.
“A little bit of everything,”‘ Burkes said. “Something you just talk to them about, and then happens again, we’re going to get them out, or someone fatigued and needing a sub, or maybe just a better lineup based on their personnel for us…Mostly the bags, right? Just trying to figure out somebody that’s gonna step up and and step in.”
Sugapong was Arizona’s best player for much of the night. She played in control, perhaps because she was the only one on the team to ever play in front of the kind of crowds McKale draws. She was rarely off the floor before fouling out and was one of two Wildcats to score in double figures.
The junior ended with 12 points on 4-for-9 shooting from the floor. She also went 4 for 4 from the line. She added four rebounds and a block. She had just one turnover in almost 32 minutes of play.
Fellow guard Lani Cornfield was the other Wildcat in double figures. She ended with a team-high 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting. She also went 4 for 4 from the line. She added two rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
On Wednesday, Burke said that she was still trying to find one or two reliable forwards. While Achol started and all five got time on the floor, Trammell stood out as the most effective in her 15 minutes on the floor. She went 4 for 5 shooting, grabbed three rebounds, and had two steals.
Guard Mireia Jurado also had a positive impact. While Jurado didn’t have the kind of stat line her fellow freshman had, she was a calm presence on the court. She and Trammell had the best +/- on the team at 9 and 15, respectively.
“I think Daniah was a really, really bright spot for us today,” Burke said. “I think MJ was a bright spot for us today. And I think there’s a couple positives that we can take from this game…So again, like I said, there’s a lot of question marks on some positions for us, and I think those two answered some of those questions for us today. So it’s good. We’re gonna have a lot of things solidified from like a lineup standpoint and an effectiveness standpoint after this game.”