Arizona outscored UC-Irvine 31-17 in the second quarter to propel the Wildcats to a 75-61 win on Sunday. Mickie Perdue led all scorers with 31 points. Arizona flipped a 15-10 deficit at the end of the first quarter to lead 41-32 at halftime.
Perdue had 14 points and made four of her six three-point attempts in the second quarter. All but three of Perdue's points came in the final three quarters. Noelani Cornfield scored 14 points with 12 assists and five rebounds and Dania Trammell, with 12 points, were the other Arizona players to score in double figures.
Hunter Hernandez led UC-Irvine with 23 points and had nine rebounds. Jade Wynn was the only other Anteater in double figures with 12 points, a team-leading nine rebounds and she made 10 of 16 from the free throw line. The game was marred by fouls with Arizona being whistled 32 times and UC-Irvine 23.
UC-Irvine used an 11-3 run late in the first quarter to surge in front 15-7. Perdue made three free throws with no time left in the first quarter to get Arizona going. Arizona gradually surged in front and led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter.
Arizona extended the lead in the third quarter with a 19-13 advantage and took a 60-45 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Wildcats won the game with a 28-18 advantage in points in the paint, a 12-6 edge in fast break points and 16 assists to seven for UC-Irvine.
Purdue made nine of her 20 shots from the field, five of 13 three-point attempts and eight of 10 free throws. Trammell made five of her seven shots from the field. The rest of the Arizona team made 10 of their 34 shots from the field.
Arizona and UC-Irvine both struggled on three-point attempts. Arizona made six of its 25 three-point attempts. UC-Irvine made four of its 17 shots from beyond the arc. Arizona is off for a week before hosting Grambling State next Sunday at 2 PM Mountain Standard Time.