Arizona used a 12-0 first-quarter run and withstood a pair of BYU rallies in the second half to earn a 65-57 win on Wednesday night at McKale Center. The Wildcats earned a season sweep of the Cougars with the win. Arizona extended a 16-7 first-quarter lead to 37-21 at halftime.
BYU outscored Arizona 15-6 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 43-36. Arizona and BYU had a stretch of 3:10 in the third quarter, where neither team scored. The Wildcats went on an 8-2 run to begin the fourth quarter and extend their lead to 51-38 over the Cougars.
BYU remained it the game and cut the Arizona lead to 61-57 with 42 seconds remaining on an Emma Calvert three-point play. Arizona had a couple of key defensive stops and made four free throws from there to close out the win. The Wildcats improve to 16-12 overall and 7-8 in the Big XII.
The win over BYU begins a key stretch for Arizona who will be favored at Houston, versus Texas Tech and at Arizona State as they fight to remain in contention for their fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth. The difference in the game for Arizona was going 17-22 from the free throw line while BYU shot 5-8.
Isis Beh led four Arizona players in double figures with 14 points. Skylar Jones had 13 points, five rebounds and three assists, Jada Williams scored 12 and Breya Cunningham had 11 points and eight rebounds. Delaney Gibb led BYU with 16 points, four rebounds and five assists before fouling out in the last minute.
Arizona next plays at Houston on Saturday. Houston is 5-21 overall and 1-14 in the Big XII, with their only win over number 24 Oklahoma State. The ESPN Basketball Power Index projects Arizona with an 89.1 percent chance to win at Houston. Arizona at Houston has a 6 PM MT tip-off on ESPN+.