TUCSON — The Arizona Wildcats women’s basketball team suffered their first loss of the year, falling 63–57 to Southern University at McKale Center.
Despite a strong second-half surge, Arizona couldn’t overcome a night filled with mistakes, including a season-high 24 turnovers that stalled any chance at building momentum.
Arizona’s best stretch came in the third quarter, when the Wildcats put up 22 points and briefly grabbed the lead behind Mickayla Perdue and Sumayah Sugapong. Perdue finished with a team-high 17 points, while Sugapong added 10 points and three steals, helping fuel Arizona’s defensive pressure.
Freshman Daniah Trammell chipped in nine points, and Nora François continued to anchor the interior with 11 rebounds. Arizona forced 25 turnovers of their own, but too many empty possessions on offense left the door open for Southern to answer late.
"They (Southern) brought it, and we did not respond by any stretch of the imagination," Arizona coach Becky Burke said after the game. "We looked weak...I haven't seen our team look like that."
The loss drops Arizona to 6–1. But the Wildcats will have to regroup quickly as they host a tough New Mexico team on Sunday.
