Jemarl Baker axes the Lumberjacks in Arizona Basketball win
Jemarl Baker was lightning hot from three, finishing the day with 33 points, and helping to deliver the 96-53 Arizona Basketball win over the NAU Lumberjacks.
Even with no fans in the stands, it was still a spectacle to see for Arizona Basketball fans, as redshirt junior Jemarl Baker delivered one of the best performances inside McKale Center.
Finishing his day on 7-9 shooting from three, Baker led all scorers with 33 points, en route to the Wildcats’ 43-point victory over the NAU Lumberjacks.
Arizona Wildcats
Just two days removed from which Arizona struggled to beat Eastern Washington, it was a tale of two games for the Cats, as it was a complete game in their win.
Sharp shooting –
The Cats were 32-48 (.667) from the field and 13-22 (.591) from three, thanks in large part to Bakers’ 12-16 (7-9) performance.
His energy and success helped to feed the team, and as a result, it was one of the best shooting performances I have seen from an Arizona team in quite some time.
Superior rebounding –
Arizona out-paced NAU in this category, dominating the glass by a +17 advantage overall and did a fantastic job in limiting the second-chance points for the Lumberjacks.
Despite NAU having more offensive rebounds, Arizona did well in attacking the glass, and staying aggressive here, grabbing 41 rebounds overall to NAU’s 24.
Great defensive effort –
Arizona seemed to tighten things up in the last few minutes of their 70-67 win over Eastern Washington just a few days ago, but overall it wasn’t one of their better performances.
On Monday, the Cats were dialed in. Being very active, they created 12 turnovers (four steals) and held the Lumberjacks to 18-59 (.305) shooting from the field, and 5-20 (.250) from three.
They held the Lumberjacks to just 53 points, which is the lowest by an opponent so far this season.
If Arizona is going to succeed this year, it starts on defense, and last night was a great effort.
Overall, it was an impressive win, and it is great to see the Cats gain some confidence here. Things will ramp up for them in the coming days, especially as they face Cal State Bakersfield on Wednesday and UTEP on Saturday.
Listen to head coach Sean Miller following the teams’ win!
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At Zona Zealots, we’re thrilled with the win, and hope it breeds more performances like this one moving forward! As always, Bear Down, Arizona!