With Arizona’s non-conference schedule winding down and Big 12 play looming, the Wildcats went into Monday night’s game against the Chicago State Cougars looking to put a complete game together.
Consistent play for four quarters on both sides of the ball has been an issue for Arizona. While the Wildcats have been able to get out to large leads, they tend to have moments where they take their foot off the gas, allowing opponents back into the game.
That pattern continued in the Wildcats’ 89-70 win over Chicago State in McKale Center on Monday night.
“I just am looking forward to this team just being a little bit more consistent, coming in and just beating somebody from start to finish, and not making it as interesting as we love to make it,” Arizona coach Becky Burke said.
“I feel like those days are ahead of us, but we’re just not there quite yet. But ultimately we won. That was the plan.”
In the last two games, Mickayla Perdue has scored 61 points including a career-high 34 points in the Wildcats’ win over Chicago State. Her previous career high was 33 points when she was at Cleveland State. Perdue was 10 for 18 from the floor, 4 for 10 from the arc, and she hit 10 out of 12 free-throw attempts.
“A lot of my buckets were in transition I feel like and that’s a shout out to my teammates” Perdue said.
She pointed out that Lani Cornfield’s seven assists were beneficial.
“Probably most of them for me, but I mean, they get me the ball when I’m hot,” Perdue added. “Coach drew up some plays for me when I’m hot. It takes a lot to execute it, too, like screens, getting me the ball.
“So shout out to my teammates, because without them, giving me the ball and setting good screens, I can’t have a game like that.”
Perdue’s improvement on defense showed up against Chicago State as she created three of the Cougars’ six offensive fouls.
On her defensive improvement, Perdue said, “I just knew that they were a driving team. She’s (Burke) always preaching midline, midline, midline, especially to me, because sometimes I’m not on the midline. And I really want to focus on my defensive game. I knew they were getting downhill, so I kind of just stepped over at the right time.”
“Defensively, she had a much, much better presence and competitiveness and was making plays that had nothing to do with her scoring today, which I was proud of her for,” Burke added.
There were 50 combined turnovers in the game with Arizona (8-2) scoring 27 points off of 30 Cougar turnovers.
After starting the second half in the last three games, Tanyuel Welch worked her way into the starting lineup against the Cougars (1-10) and showed why she deserved be there.
Welch notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She also had two steals and an assist.
“Coming in, doing your job, being steady, just making smart plays and being patient and poised — she’s done that,” Burke said of Welch. “When she’s solid, doing what we asked her to do, just builds trust, game by game, practice by practice. She had a great week of practice.
“(I) was excited to see what she did at the start today (as a starter), and was really happy with her.”
Welch’s 18 points were the most she has scored in an Arizona uniform.
The third Wildcat scoring in double digits was Cornfield. She had 15 points on 6-for-13 shooting from the floor. She added seven rebounds, seven assists and five steals to her game total.
Arizona took a 7-0 lead at the beginning of the first quarter but allowed Chicago State to get within two before the Wildcats took advantage of turnovers, extending the lead to 29-19 at the end of the first quarter.
The Wildcats outscored the Cougars 16-14 in the second quarter to take a 45-33 lead into the locker room at the half.
The Cougars outscored the Wildcats in the third quarter 24-18, cutting the lead to 63-57 thanks to three consecutive 3-pointers from Aiyanna Culver.
With a little over seven minutes left in the game, the Cougars cut the lead to two points before Arizona went on an 11-0 run.
The Wildcats extended their lead to 19 with under a minute to go to secure the win.
“I’m grateful, thankful for the win” Burke said
Arizona will host Bellarmine on Thursday for its final non-conference game before it opens Big 12 play against Utah on Monday at noon in McKale Center.
Recommended for you
