Three Arizona women’s basketball players are participating in the FIBA Women's World Cup qualifying tournaments this weekend.
Current Arizona guard Sumayah Sugapong is representing the Philippines, while former players Shaina Pellington will represent Canada and Helena Pueyo will represent Spain.
Each team will play five games against other teams in its group. The Philippines, Canada and Spain are all in group A. As of press time, Spain has one win, Canada has one win and one loss, and the Philippines has one loss.
The top three teams of each tournament will qualify for the Women’s World Cup, according to FIBA. However, at the qualifying tournament in France, where the Philippines is playing, only the top two teams will advance. (Spain is playing in Puerto Rico, while Canada is playing in Turkey.)
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The tournament concludes on March 17. Viewers can catch live videos and highlights from the tournament on subscription streaming service Courtside 1891.
Arizona's Sumayah Sugapong seemingly could not miss from three, hitting five three-pointers and scoring 21 points in the first half alone vs. Utah, Feb. 28, 2026.
Before Arizona's season came to an end last week after falling to ASU, 54-51, in the Big 12 Tournament, Sugapong ended the regular season on a high note.
During the last regular game of the season against Utah, Sugapong put up a career-high 31 points. This past season, she recorded 317 points and 63 assists.
As for the former Wildcats, this is Pellington’s second time participating in the FIBA World Cup qualifying tournament. After helping her team qualify last time around, the Ontario native eventually went on to represent Team Canada in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
During her last year with Arizona hoops in 2023, she racked up three athletic honors, including 2023 Pac-12 Co-Most Improved Player of the Year and being named to the All-Pac-12 Team and Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.
She finished her collegiate career with 864 points.
Pueyo, who’s from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, has years of experience playing for her home country. Before her freshman year at Arizona in the 2019-2020 season, she led Spain to a bronze medal at the 2019 U19 World Cup and a quarterfinal appearance at the 2019 U18 European Championships, according to Arizona Athletics.
Arizona guard Helena Pueyo makes a three-point basket in the second half of a First Four game against Auburn in the NCAA women's college basketball tournament, Thursday, March 21, 2024, in Storrs, Conn.
As a Wildcat, she set program records for career steals (312) and single-season steals (110). She concluded her college career in 2024 with 888 career points.
Contact Elvia Verdugo, the Star's community sports editor, at everdugo@tucson.com. A journalism and history graduate from the University of Arizona, she shares stories highlighting what makes Tucson and its community special.
Elvia Verdugo
Community Sports Editor
