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Arizona Basketball: Wildcats crush the Aggies by 30 points

By David Rosen

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 26: Wilbur the Wildcat is seen before the Arizona Wildcats take on the Xavier Musketeers in the West Regional Semifinal of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Staples Center on March 26, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 26: Wilbur the Wildcat is seen before the Arizona Wildcats take on the Xavier Musketeers in the West Regional Semifinal of the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Staples Center on March 26, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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The overall skill set of Arizona Basketball was too much for the Aggies to handle as the Wildcats came away with the win 83-53.

Four in a row. Arizona Basketball stepped on the gas right from the tip-off to take a 10-0 lead and never looked back. Heading into the game, New Mexico St was without two key players and it showed. The Wildcats were just too much for the Aggies to handle and they came away with a 83-53 win.

High percentage shooting from the field and three, solid lockdown defense, active on the glass and relentless attacking of the balls are all the reasons why the Wildcats won this won. 10 of 11 players that played scored. Christian Koloko played a few minutes but didn’t get a chance to shoot the ball. To be honest was surprised in a game like this he didn’t see more minutes.

In the first half of play, the Wildcats shot 58% from the field and 57% from three. Wow. Shooting like that will win you many games.  Zeke Nnaji led the way, again, with 15 points in the first half (perfect from the field) and 3 rebounds. He finished with 19 points and 4 rebounds (still perfect from the field).

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Jemarl Baker had a great game with 10 points at half and finished with 16 points. He went 6-9 from the field and 4-6 from three. His production plus the four others that came off the bench contributed to a 32-25 edge in bench points. Baker also was finding his teammates for easy dunks as well. Wildcats love to share that ball!

Of course, Nico Mannion had another solid showing. He did get into some early foul trouble but had 15 points, two assists, one rebound, and only two turnovers in 21 minutes of play.

After 20 minutes of play, the Wildcats were up 43-21 and they would go on to score 40 more points in the second half to win by 30. Everyone contributed on both ends of the floor. There were a few lapses during the game, but even that being said the Wildcats had no problem in coming away with the win.

In the second half, Mannion did get a technical foul for apparently trash talking after knocking down a three. I’m okay with that. As a fan, seeing someone bring that type of emotion and passion is a good thing. Nnaji does the same as well, showing a lot of emotion, which fires up his team and fans!

Another game in which the Wildcats took good care of the ball with just 12 turnovers. They did cause 20 and had 25 points off of turnovers. As a team, they finished the game shooting 48% from three and 53% from the field. One other stat to point out is they did go 13-15 from the foul line, which shows they are getting more aggressive as each game goes on.

light. Must Read. Arizona Basketball: Versatility and depth makes Arizona a dangerous team

At Zona Zealots, we would like to congratulate this team on another dominating win at home in front of the best fans in the country. Up next for the Wildcats is against South Dakota St on Nov.21 at 7pm MST. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!

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