Arizona Basketball: Wildcats put up 103 points in win against the UMBC Retrievers

The Arizona Wildcats put on a show against the UMBC Retrievers, in a 103-78 victory. They move to 2-0 to start the season.

Oh my goodness! The Arizona Wildcats put on quite the show tonight against the UMBC Retrievers of the American East Conference. As result of tonight’s win, records were set, jaw-dropping dunks were made, next level athleticism was on full display, three-pointers were splashing the net from all over the court – this game had it all!

The Wildcats continued its dominant performance in the second game of the regular season. As was the case in the first game against NAU, Allonzo Trier led the team in scoring with 30 points, four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal. Zo is on a mission this season!

DeAndre Ayton and the rest of the team did not disappoint either- resulting in another 100 plus point game and proving once again this year is going to be one for the history books! And what’s even scarier is to think how well this team is playing without Rawle Alkins aka King Rawle aka Mr. Savagelife.

The Wildcats did get off to a slow start, with the Retrievers taking an 11-5 lead early on. Arizona then went on one of those “runs” that all opponents fear. Over the span of five minutes, they went on a 24-3 trampling – that will win you some games! Part of that run, including three-point shooting from Zo, Emanuel Akot, and Parker-Jackson Cartwright:

https://twitter.com/AZATHLETICS/status/929859413262733312

In the first half, the bench play by both Ira Lee and Dylan Smith was solid. They combined for 11 points and were both perfect from the field. A half of Wildcat basketball wouldn’t be complete without an ESPN Top 10 play by Ayton. Alex Barcello thew up a beautiful lob to him for the finish – the freshman to freshman connection!

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The Retrievers didn’t back down at all and were led by Jarius Lyles, who couldn’t miss. Three-pointers, bank shot three-pointers, tier drop layups, he was doing it all. He finished the first half with 21 points to lead all scorers and gave his team a little “upset” confidence heading into the locker room only down 48-37. Lyles would finish the game with 31 points, 5-8  from 3pt and 6-7 from the field.

How long could the Retrievers stay in this one? Well apparently longer then people would have expected. They are predicted to finish third in their conference. The Retrievers came out in the second half on fire and cut the lead to 58-55 in just two minutes of play.

Can you imagine the Cats coming out of the locker room and falling to within two points? Well, it happened, and Miller called a timeout.

But that would be the closest they would get, as the Wildcats experience and depth just took over!

Everyone got involved in the action.

Zo with the strong and one finish:

Ayton with a putback one hand slam:

LeeTime with the left-hand FLUSH and one:

Dre with the one-handed slam and Keanu Pinder with the block of the year so far (wait for it)::

Most of the game the Retrievers tried to play zone to slow the Wildcats down, but that did not stop them from shooting lights out from three-point range.

Playing against the zone was one of the weaknesses the Wildcat had last year, but with this team, it won’t be a problem. Whether it’s Ayton finding the seams in the lane for a jump shot, or the Wildcats having multiple options around the arc, opponents this year will be forced to play more man to man than zone defense.

The Wildcats put the game away with a 13-0 run late in the game, giving their opponent no sort of hope that an upset was even a thought. It was a good test for the team as the Receivers will be a contender to win the America East conference and a possible berth in the NCAA tournament this year.

Key stats of the game:

• The Wildcats are now 42-0 in non-conference play – longest streak in Arizona basketball history
• First Wildcat team since 2002 to score 100 plus points in the first two games
• Outrebounded the Retrievers 41-24
• Ayton puts up his second double-double, 19 points, and three rebounds
• Finished 15-28 from three-point range
• Went 39-64 from the field – that’s almost 61%
• Wildcat’s bench outscored their opponent 33-13
• Cartwright led the team with nine assists
• Brandon Randolph was back in action for the Wildcats, scoring five points in four minutes played

Coach Sean Miller’s opening statement of the press conference following the game sums it all up, “An exciting game. If you like scoring, you saw it here today.”

Also, he had this to say about Zo, “No player that I have ever had or seen works harder on the game then Allonzo has.”

See the full the press conference below:

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Wildcats fans got their money’s worth and more in this exciting, action-packed game. The team looks to keep the non-conference winning streak going when they face CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 16 at McKale Center. Whether your watching at home or in person, always Bear Down!