It’s amazing what a team can do when it doesn’t constantly give the ball to its opponent.
Arizona overcame major turnover issues in the first half to beat Grambling 84-60 on Saturday night at McKale Center, bouncing back from its first loss of the season a few days earlier at NAU.
The UA turned it over 27 times, most since 2016, which Grambling (2-4) converted into 25 points. It had 18 turnovers at halftime, nine in each quarter, resulting in a 1-point deficit at the break, but in the second half the Wildcats outscored the Tigers 49-24.
“It’s not going to be a nice Big 12 if we’re having 27 turnovers,” said UA coach Adia Barnes, whose team is averaging 20.2 turnovers per game. “I don’t know why we’re having such a problem. It’s not one person, it’s collectively a problem. We’re just rushed to make plays or something.”
Lauryn Swann led the Wildcats (6-1) with 17 points, scoring 15 in the fourth quarter, while Jada Williams had 13 in her return to action after missing the NAU loss while in concussion protocol. Sahnya Jah added 11 and both Breya Cunningham and Paulina Paris had 10.
Arizona shot 45.6 percent, including 57.1 percent in the fourth quarter, outrebounded Grambling by 15 and scored on 41 of 58 possessions that didn’t end in a turnover.
“It’s something that, as a team, we need to learn to slow down and be more intentional with our passes,” Cunningham said.
Down 36-35, Arizona opened the second half by forcing turnovers instead of committing them. That enabled the Wildcats to jump out to a 48-40 lead as they didn’t turn it over until less than four minutes remained in the third quarter.
The UA gave it away three times in less than three minutes, though, letting Grambling get back within two, but then ended the third on a 9-1 run to lead 57-47. The fourth quarter then began with Swann draining a pair of corner 3s—Arizona had been 0 for 5 from outside before that—to up the margin to 63-49.
“My teammates were just looking for me, feeding the hot hand,” Swann said.
A steal-and-score by Williams made it 71-53 with 5:50 remaining, and four straight points by Swann upped the margin to 20 with under five to go.
The UA led 15-4 less than four minutes in after a 3-point play by Jah but then started throwing the ball away and allowing Grambling to get within 18-13 after one quarter. The Tigers got as close as three on four occasions in the second, each time following an Arizona giveaway, then took advantage of a couple more turnovers to go on a 7-0 run and take a 36-33 lead with 51 seconds left in the first half.
Arizona returns to action Tuesday when it faces Vanderbilt in Palm Springs, Calif. The game is part of the Acrisure Holiday Invitational, a 4-team event that also features Cal and Michigan State.