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She said the team has some “some soul searching� to do after the shorthanded Wildcats (10-6, 1-4 Big 12) lost 58-55 to UCF on Saturday at home. It was the Knights’ first league and first road wins of the season.

“Really disappointed with that,� Burke said. “Like, very, very, very disappointed, probably as disappointed as I’ve been sitting here in front of you guys.

“I don’t know that I’ve been part of a game where we forced a team into 23 turnovers and took 19 more shots than they did and not been able to win a basketball game and there’s a lot of different reasons for that,� she added. “We need to look in the mirror, we need to own it. Credit to UCF, obviously they beat us and we got some soul searching to do. Very disappointed.�

Graduate student guard and Arizona’s leading scorer, Mickayla Perdue, is out indefinitely with a wrist injury, and the UCF game was UA’s first without her.

Perdue is the Wildcats’ leading scorer and was eighth in the Big 12 going into Saturday. She is averaging 17.1 points per game, 33.3 minutes per game and started 14 of the Wildcats’ first 15 games.

UCF outscored Arizona by three in the first quarter, and after each scored 10, 16 and 17 in the second, third and fourth periods respectively, the Knights got the three-point win.

The Wildcats shot 34.4% and 5.9% from 3. Arizona averaged 74.7 points per game before Saturday.

“We shot more 3s tonight than we do when Micky plays,� Burke said. “We went 1 for 17. Under no circumstances, by any means, is that acceptable to go 1 for 17 as a Division I basketball team from the 3-point line, it’s just not.

“So, yeah, is Micky gonna make a couple more of those for us? Yes, absolutely. Is it absolutely a factor and a big, big, big, big, big deal that we lost our leading scorer? Yes, but when I look at some fundamental things that are issues for us, and were even issues when Micky was playing, like I’m not an excuses type head coach and I never will be,� she added. “So, we need to look in a mirror, we need to know that this is our reality moving forward until further notice and we need to hold up our end of the bargain as coaches and players.�

The Wildcats have made 69 3-pointers, .

Fifth-year forward Nora Francois and junior guard Sumayah Sugapong each led UA in scoring with 10 points.

“I try to just take what comes, but I definitely think I need to work on getting an earlier start and just being consistent throughout the entirety of the game and not just have like spurts, especially with Micky gone,� Sugapong said. “Like I know not just me, like a couple of us are gonna have to step up and make up for that.�

UCF (9-7, 1-4) had lost four in a row and was 0-2 in road games. The Knights lost 68-45 at ASU on Wednesday in Tempe.

“We told our players we have an opportunity to try to go 1-1 against a great environment; the state of Arizona does a great job of supporting their teams,� said UCF head coach Sytia Messer. “And so both games have been very great environments to play in the Big 12 and a great conference and we wanted to try to steal one and go home and we did that. I'm proud of my team.

“I thought collectively, they bought into the scouting report and did what we needed to do.�

The University of Central Florida is in Orlando, Fla. Messer said the Knights have been on the road since Monday.

“So we're ready to see that Sunshine State, I can tell you that,� Messer said. “But it's been great, we did a little team bonding with movies and stayed at the resort here locally, wow.�

The Knights shot 48.9% from the field. The Big 12’s seventh leading scorer, sophomore UCF guard Leah Harmon had two points despite averaging 17.4 points per game before Saturday.

Up next for the Wildcats is a trip to TCU (15-1, 3-1). The Horned Frogs hosted ASU on Sunday afternoon.

Arizona’s next home date is Jan. 20 against Kansas.

“They’re all tough,� Burke said. “UCF is tough, we’re not a team that there’s going to be any games that are not tough for us; so we can look at it as a David/Goliath or we can come to practice on Monday and try to get better, try to change some of our stripes, and try to just completely sell out to the fact that we need to do what’s given us success and continue doing it at high level.

“It’s frustrating to go two steps forward, five steps back, couple steps forward, couple steps back, that’s where we’ve been with this team,� she added. “I think we’re improving in areas, and I think other areas, we’ve been really, really stubborn and just kind of not changed as much as we need to by this point. We’re not going to TCU to lose, we’re going to go battle and we’re going to go bring our best and we’re gonna have a great game plan and you know, we’re going to take ownership over the results of these games and for the rest of the way, but this one definitely hurts. This is one we thought we could have and should have had.�

Rim shots

– As the Arizona men’s basketball game tipped off at the same time, the UA public address announcer gave a score update of that game. Attendance was 5,426 (the average attendance before the game was 5,645) despite the men’s game and the NFL playoffs.

– Freshman forward Daniah Trammell before Arizona gymnastics’ meet against Washington on Friday night. The GymCats beat the GymDawgs 195.425-194.650 in the UA’s season opener.

– Burke said 6-foot-6 freshman center Callie Hinder attended the game and will start practicing next week. In November, Burke said Hinder won’t play this season.

– UA president Suresh Garimella