Wildcats Hold Off Eastern Kentucky in Thrilling Kids’ Day Game
Arizona womenS basketball secured a hard-fought 87-83 victory over Eastern kentucky on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, in front of a lively crowd of Tucson school children at McKale Center. The win improves the Wildcats’ record to 7-2 on the season, bouncing back from a recent loss to New Mexico.
Arizona head coach Becky Burke expressed her enthusiasm for the unique atmosphere of the game,stating,”It was amazing. the kids were great. It’s a different vibe. It’s a different feel.” Burke also acknowledged the effort required from schools to participate,adding,”I’m so appreciative of all the schools that took the time. It’s a lot to get kids on a bus and get them out here and feed them and make sure they behave and do all those things.”
The game proved to be a challenging contest for the Wildcats, despite controlling much of the play. Arizona built a 12-point lead with just over five minutes remaining, but Eastern Kentucky refused to concede. The Colonels mounted a 7-2 run,narrowing the gap to five points and continuing to pressure Arizona down the stretch. A crucial missed free throw by EKU’s Zyniah Thomas with 1:52 left, followed by an Arizona rebound out of bounds and a subsequent three-pointer by the Colonels, brought the score within a single point.
“I think at the end of the day, I’m really glad we’re back in the win column,” Burke said. “I mean, whether you win by one or 30 or 40, we need to win this basketball game, and ultimately, that’s what we did.” While acknowledging the team’s need for improvement, Burke emphasized the importance of securing the victory. “Am I proud of how it kind of played itself out down the stretch and in the fourth quarter? No,obviously that’s frustrating,but at this point with this team,we need to win basketball games,and we did that today.”
A significant factor in the Wildcats’ success was their improved performance on the defensive perimeter, a focus for Coach Burke. “I think T’s perimeter that we are going to be relying on heavily from this point forward.” She added, “Her ability to maybe take a bad angle and make up for it, because she’s so dang athletic…I think now what’s coming along for T is learning when to be solid, when to like, chill out for a second, and when to be aggressive.”
Welch herself emphasized her commitment to both sides of the ball, saying, “I feel like as far as my defense, I came a long way.I always been a good on-ball defender. I struggled as far as being off the ball and helping my teammates. So I feel like I’ve really improved in that over time. I feel like one of the best things about my game is I play both sides of the ball.”
Mickayla Perdue led all scorers with 27 points, shooting 11-of-18 from the field and 5-of-9 from three-point range. This performance marked a significant improvement from her previous game against New Mexico, where she scored just five points on 1-of-9 shooting.
Turnovers proved to be a key area of concern for Arizona, with 15 total turnovers leading to 19 points for Eastern Kentucky. However, the Wildcats demonstrated improvement in ball security compared to their previous loss to Southern.Lani Cornfield stood out with zero turnovers and eight assists, a stark contrast to the nine turnovers she committed against Southern.
“It really opens the floor for everybody,” Welch said of Cornfield’s playmaking. “You know, she’s a threat herself. Micky’s a threat. I can be a threat. So for her,just like sharing the ball,it creates confusion within the defense.”
In addition to Perdue and Cornfield,Daniah Trammell contributed 11 points,shooting 50 percent from the field and 100 percent from the free-throw line. Nora Francois played with a mask after sustaining an elbow injury in practice, adding six points and four rebounds.
The Wildcats will return to action on Monday, December 15, hosting Chicago State at 6 p.m. MST.
