The Arizona women’s basketball team rallied after a rough second quarter to defeat Houston 75-67 in the Wildcats’ home finale Tuesday night at McKale Center.
Departing seniors Noelani Cornfield and Nora Francois played starring roles on Senior Night.
Arizona Wildcats forward Nora Francois (13) looks to get to the bucket past Houston Cougars forward Jorynn Ross (26) during the fourth quarter of their Big 12 game in Tucson on Feb. 24, 2026.
Cornfield, in the starting lineup for the first time since Feb. 7, had 18 points and a game-high nine assists. Francois had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Junior guard Sumayah Sugapong had a team-high 20 points and five steals.
Arizona (12-16, 3-14 Big 12) scored just six points in the second quarter and trailed 26-19 at halftime. Playing with a greater sense of purpose and better ball movement, the Wildcats outscored the Cougars 56-41 after the break.
Cornfield and Sugapong had 14 points apiece in the second half. Francois had 10.
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Arizona trailed by one point, 51-50, with less than eight minutes to play. Francois stole the ball and fed it to Cornfield, who drove toward the basket. Cornfield then slung a pass to Sugapong for a 3-pointer to put the Wildcats ahead to stay.
Arizona has one more regular-season game, at Utah on Saturday night. By virtue of Tuesday’s victory, the Wildcats are guaranteed to be the 14th or 15th seed in next week’s Big 12 Tournament. Houston (7-21, 1-16) will be the No. 16 seed.
Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at mlev@tucson.com. On X (Twitter): @michaeljlev. On Bluesky: @michaeljlev.bsky.social
Michael Lev
Sports Reporter/Columnist
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