Arizona Basketball: Wildcats hold off upset minded Chaminade in exhibition play

The Arizona Wildcats finish exhibition play with a 75-64 win against the Chaminade Silverswords.

Time for the fun to begin! The Arizona Basketball team won their second of two exhibition games, this one was a lot closer than their first game. Behind leading scorers Brandon Williams and Brandon Randolph, the Wildcats were able to hold off Chaminade Silverswords 75-64.  Coming off an upset of the California Golden Bears in the Maui Invitational, their opponents were looking to pull off back to back upsets. The Wildcats would not let that happen.

Each team would have its share of runs, but the overall talent level of the Wildcat would be too much for the Silverswords to handle. Coach Sean Miller rotated a lot of players in and out, trying out a lot of combinations. It was a chance for everyone to prove their worth and what they can bring to the team this season.

Everyone (minus the walk-ons) saw playing minutes except for freshman Devonaire Doutrive. Maybe something happened before the game, who knows? Hopefully, we get to see him play this season. Chase Jeter played this game after missing the first exhibition due to injury. He ended up coming off the bench in this one and scored one point but grabbed six rebounds.

Right from the tip-off, the Silverswords were not intimidated at all, knocking down three-pointers which led to them taking a lead early in the first half. The Wildcats though would go on a run, taking a 10 point lead before closing out the half, ahead by two points, 31-29.

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In the second half, the Wildcats started slow and found themselves down eight points. The Silverswords were unable to sustain the offensive power needed as the Wildcats went on another run as the closest they would get is within two. The final score, 75-64, we decisive enough, not a blowout as expected. The Wildcats won!

With this team being more guard-oriented, which was not surprising to see this team take a lot more three-point shots. They were 11-25 from beyond the arc, with both Brandon’s making four each. Williams hit his first four three-point attempts which were unreal. Not only were they making three’s, but they played solid defense forcing 21 turnovers and turning them into 24 points. That will make Coach happy!

There were things though that Miller would like to see his team improve on. Turnovers and lapses in defense to be precise. The Cats had 13 turnovers and had a couple of possessions on defense in which players were wide open or they found easy drives through the lane. If this team is to be successful this season, that will need to take care of the ball and limit silly turnovers.

Both Brandons led their team in scoring combining for 42 points including eight from beyond the arc. We are going to have to come with a nickname for this duo. Randolph looked very comfortable from beyond the arc, while Williams showed why he is one of the top freshman and point guards in college basketball this season. Early on Williams was on fire from three-point-land and by the end of the first half, he was leading all scorers with 14 points.

Other players that stood out in tonight’s game were Emmanuel Akot, Alex Barcello and Justin Coleman. All three found ways to contribute on both offense and defense. Coleman, who Miller will be relying on for more his ball-handling abilities at the point this season, found ways to score late in the game, finishing with 14 points. Barcello gave fans something to cheer about with a splish splash three-pointer and creative drive to the basket.

Akot, who will be competing for that sixth man spot, provided the Wildcats with that spark on both ends of the floor. He finished with four points and five rebounds. Ryan Luther finished with seven points and four rebounds. As the season goes on, the Wildcats will need Luther to step up and provide that strength and size they lack in size.

Relive all the highlights of the final exhibition game of the season:

As exhibition play wraps up, the Wildcats will look to continue their winning ways into the regular season when they host Houston Baptist at 7 pm MST (6 pm PST) on the Pac-12 network. At Zona Zealots, we are very excited to get things under away for the 2018-19 Wildcat basketball season. Bear Down!