Adia Barnes says Maya Nnaji has stepped away from team to focus in academics
TUCSON — Kailyn Gilbert scored a career-high 26 points but it wasn’t enough Wednesday night at McKale Center as the unranked Wildcats fell to No. 5 Texas 88-75.
The Wildcats (7-3) trailed by as many as 25 points in the final quarter before closing the game on a 15-1 run.
Texas point guard Rori Harmon came up short of a triple-double finishing with 19 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Taylor Jones added 16 points.
The Longhorns (11-0) are off to their best start 2015-16 when Texas started that season with 16 consecutive wins.
Gilbert finished 8-of-21 shooting from the floor. Breya Cunningham scored 12 points but sat for most of the first half after picking up two fouls in the first 40 seconds of the game.
The already-short-staffed Wildcats (7-3) played with just nine players. It was reported during the Pac-12 Network broadcast and confirmed by UA head coach Adia Barnes after the game that sophomore forward Maya Nnaji has stepped away from the program indefinitely to focus on academics.
Nnaji is studying to become a doctor.
UA opens Pac-12 play on Sunday in Tempe against the rival Arizona State Sun Devils.
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