Behind four double-digit scorers, No. 13 Arizona men’s basketball defeated NAU 92-37 Wednesday night at McKale Center.
The 55-point victory marks the Wildcats’ largest winning margin over the Lumberjacks in over 70 years. The win also moved Arizona to 10-1 on the season and pushed the UA’s home winning streak to 45 games.
Mark Tollefsen led the team with 19 points while Ryan Anderson added another 18. Allzono Trier and Dusan Ristic also pitched in with double figures in scoring.
Arizona dominated the Lumberjacks in practically every aspect. The Wildcats shot nearly 60 percent from the field, won the rebounding by more than a 2-1 margin and dished out 17 assists
Arizona poured it on in the second half, outscoring its in-state rival 52-13 after intermission. A 21-2 run sparked the route, fueled by Ristic, Anderson and Trier sparked the route.
The Wildcats never let up on either side, and eventually the lead grew to over 50 points.
The last time Arizona defeated NAU by more than 50 was way back in February 1943, when the UA defeated the Lumberjacks 84-27.
“I thought our second half we really put it together,” Arizona head coach Sean Miller said. “Anytime you hold a team to nine points in 16-17 minutes for a half, obviously a lot of good things are happening, and I thought we had a lot to do with that.
As resounding a defeat as it was, Arizona didn’t look so dominant in the first half, when the Wildcats struggled to find an early scoring rhythm and played less than stellar defense.
Midway through the period, the Wildcats held a slim 14-11 period.
“It was an even game for about 12 minutes of the first half,” Arizona head coach Sean Miller said. “It is kind of indicative of our team because we have gone like that through the games, but you can’t ever pick and choose defense.”
The sluggish play eventually subsided as Arizona outscored NAU 20-6 over the half’s final seven minutes.
Arizona did a good enough job on the defensive side to hold the Lumberjacks to 21 percent shooting. Kris Yanku led NAU with 12 points on five of 14 attempts.
“You have to give Arizona a lot of credit,” NAU head coach Jack Murphy said. “They did a really good job of cutting off the paint.”
Indeed, the Wildcats outscored NAU 50-14, a clear reflection of the major size disparity between the two programs. Arizona also capitalized off second chance points, topping the Lumberjacks 19-2 in that category.
Arizona now turns its attention to a Saturday evening home matchup with UNLV, who fell at home to ASU on Wednesday night.
