Arizona and Colorado battled through 12 lead changes and six ties before Colorado used an 18-3 run to outscore the Wildcats 23-13 in the fourth quarter and grab the 78-70 Big 12 win on Tuesday in McKale Center at ALKEME Arena.
“I’m going to look at this one as the tale of two games when we played them six weeks ago and then when we just played them just now, said Burke, referring to when the Wildcats lost 75-56 at Boulder, Colo., on New Year’s Eve. “When we went to Colorado, we got our butts kicked from start to finish and did not look presentable at all and today we’re in a position to win with three minutes left in the game.”
“I’m proud of their effort. I just wish so badly for them that they could win some of these close ones and just find a way down the stretch to just pull these out. They’re working so hard. They’re working their butts off and they deserve it and they’ve earned it. But unfortunately, like at this level, there is very, very little room for error down the stretch or slippage and you know, we’ve had some.”
The Wildcats held a seven-point lead with 6:34 to go before the Buffaloes (19-8, 10-5 Big 12) tightened their defense creating turnovers.
Arizona (11-15, 2-13) couldn’t overcome the defensive pressure and with a little over three minutes left, Colorado took the lead and wouldn’t look back.
“They picked the pressure up defensively,” Burke said. “I mean, they’re huge. They’re long. They’re athletic and through most of the game, they were kind of saggy and kind of less aggressive defensively.
“In the last three minutes, they had to pick it up. They were down, right? And so, we just didn’t handle that well, but we haven’t handled pressure well with length and athleticism all season. It’s hard for us because we are so small, but we also are so young, but there’s also no excuses at this point. However many games we are in, we have to handle those situations better.”
Arizona has switched up the starting lineup throughout the season to try and match the opponent. A young and small team tends to bring challenges.
“We have about, like, three freshmen starting.” Burke said. “I mean, at the end of the day, like every loss, every win is a lesson. I think it just comes down to staying tight on the defensive end, and being aware of what the other teams are running multiple times in a row.
“Just kind of just finding a way. I mean, we’re learning a lot. I mean, obviously we’re not learning enough because we’re not making changes, but I mean, all we can do is keep growing.”
Lani Cornfield’s Career Night
Lani Cornfield hit her career high of 24 points in Arizona’s loss to Arizona State on Saturday night.
Tuesday, Cornfield surpassed Saturday’s career high by a point, getting 25 points against Colorado.
“I got to do whatever I got to do to try to get a win, but it’s always nice when you have your crowd behind you.” Cornfield said. “Just staying mentally strong. I mean, I think there was a lot of calls that we may or may not have agreed with.
“There was a lot of things that could have or could not have gone our way, but just making sure that we’re not being too emotional on with our reactions, not being too caught up in what the other team’s doing or what the crowd’s saying or whatever else. Like, just making sure we’re still locked in.”
It’s been no secret that Burke has held Cornfield to a high standard off and on the court challenging her fifth year senior in all aspects of the game.
Cornfield has responded positively and accepted the challenge.
“I’m thankful for the opportunity (at Arizona). I’m thankful for coach (Burke) and all she’s given me. I mean regardless of what we have going on like I go out there to play basketball.”
Molly Ladwig Blue-Collar Play
Freshman guard Molly Ladwig got the call to start against Colorado.
Ladwig’s “blue collar” play wouldn’t show up until the fourth quarter, but when it did show up, it showed up in a big moment.
Ladwig scored back-to-back buckets to start the fourth quarter, stretching the Arizona lead from one to five.
“Tonight, I saw what I saw from Molly for the last two years when I recruited her in AAOU and in high school and that scorer’s mentality, that blue collar chip on her shoulder, straight-line driver, confident kid,” Burke said. “I hope this just launches her into an upward trajectory that we’ll build off of for her. But I’ve seen that from Molly before and I’m proud that it showed up tonight.”
Sumayah Sugapong’s in game discipline issues
Throughout the season, Sumayah Sugapong has had issues staying out of foul trouble.
In the last two games, Sugapong has also been assessed a technical foul.
In Saturday’s overtime loss to Arizona State, Sugapong’s technical came when she was upset a foul wasn’t called on a 3-point shot.
On Tuesday, against Colorado, with 3:47 left in the third quarter, Sugapong picked up her fourth foul. She argued the call with the ref and was assessed a technical.
The technical was her fifth foul and the Wildcats had to finish the game with one of their go-to scorers sitting on the bench.
“That’s not called fight; that’s called undisciplined in a moment where you don’t agree with a call,” Burke said. “Sumayah for the last month has been the best player on almost every floor we’ve stepped on along with this.
“We need the kid on the floor. And when you compete and you are as competitive as she is, there also needs to be a balance of maturity and discipline with your words, and your actions towards officials.
“I’ve wrapped my arm around her and tried to teach her and pat her on the back and talk her through this stuff, but it’s hurting our team and it’s not the first time it’s happened this year.”
Stats Roundup
Cornfield led the team in scoring with 25 points and added eight assists and six steals.
Sugapong notched 14 points including four 3-pointers. She also had two rebounds, two steals and and assist before exiting the game late in the third quarter.
Ladwig contributed nine points, three rebounds and an assist.
Tanyuel Welch had a team-high five rebounds and added seven points and a steal to her stats.
Arizona forced 25 Colorado turnovers that they turned into 31 points. The 25 turnovers was a season-high for the Buffaloes.
Up Next:
Arizona travels to Waco, Texas, to take on No. 15 Baylor on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and can be seen on ESPN+
The Wildcats’ final home game of the season and Senior Night is Tuesday against Houston.
“We have a team that doesn’t shut it down, doesn’t pack it in — they keep fighting,” Burke said. “They’ve got a lot of character and pride about who they are and what they do and doing it to the best of their ability.”
“We play until the season ends. I mean, it doesn’t matter what the record shows as long as we’ve grown from what we were in the summer to now if you see growth and that’s all that really matters. All you can do is just keep going back to the drawing board.”
