KANSAS CITY, MO — Probability models had the Arizona-Colorado game as close to a toss-up as possible. A contest between the 8th and 9th seeds in the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament was bound to be. It went Colorado’s way in a 61-58 victory that moved the Buffaloes on to the quarterfinals to face No. 1 TCU.
The game was one of scoring and fouling runs. Arizona came out hot in the first and third quarters. Colorado responded in the second and fourth. The fourth was critical with the Buffs coming back from a 10-point deficit to win by three points.
Both CU guard Kindyll Wetta and UA post Breya Cunningham had two fouls in the first quarter. Neither fouled out, although it was a close call for Wetta. She was assessed her fifth foul at 3:50 in the fourth. The Colorado bench protested, and the officials went to the review. The foul was moved to Grace Oliver and Wetta played out the rest of the game.
Arizona was led by Skylar Jones with 17 points. Jada Williams, playing in her hometown, was the only other Wildcat in double figures. She scored 13 points and dished out five assists while only turning the ball over once.
Cunningham played little due to foul trouble, two of which were on the offensive end. She had four points, one rebound, one assist, and one steal.
Isis Beh played 37 minutes, contributing nine points, 14 rebounds, three assists, a block, and three steals.
“She had a phenomenal season,” Arizona head coach Adia Barnes said. “She’s playing the best of her career.”
Barnes noted that it was a surprise that Beh was not all-conference.
Katarina Knežević was the first off the bench for the Wildcats. The freshman forward had five points, three rebounds, one block, and one steal. She has played at least 20 minutes in five of the Wildcats’ last six games.
“The more time I spent on a court, I was feeling more comfortable and more confident also at the same time,” Knežević said, noting that she has had to adjust to a lot. “So I think that that’s something that I should keep doing. Also, that’s something that I deserve.”
Arizona likely needed a win to get into the NCAA Tournament. While head coach Adia Barnes said they still hope to, “as of now” they would accept a bid to the WBIT. Both fields will be announced on Sunday, March 16.
While Sahnya Jah was reportedly available for the game, she did not suit up.