At times No. 12 Arizona wasn’t dominate, but in its first action of the season the Wildcats beat Division-II Humboldt State 108-67 at the McKale Center.
Freshman center Kaleb Tarczewski and the Wildcats dominated the glass throughout the exhibition game, outrebounding the Lumberjacks 40 to 26 while also pounding the ball inside the paint. Tarczewski recorded a double-double in his first action as a Wildcat, although the preseason accomplishment won’t count in the records. The 7-footer snagged 10 rebounds while shooting 7-for-9 for a game high 18 points.
While the first half was close at times, the Wildcats blew out Humboldt State in the final 20 minutes, outscoring the Lumberjacks 62-32 on 32-for-32 shooting (75 percent) from the field. Five players finished with double-digit scoring totals, including seniors Mark Lyons and Solomon Hill who both had 15 on the night.
The Wildcats came out of the gate aggressive on both defense and the glass, taking an early 11-0 lead. Eventually Arizona built its advantage to 30-10 midway through the first half, but Humboldt State battled back behind the effort of senior forward Alec Williams and shrunk Arizona’s lead to 46-35 at halftime.
The early game dominance returned in the second half and after a 10-2 run to start, the Wildcats never looked back. The interior size and overall talent was too much for the Lumberjacks, and the Wildcats shot 17-for-24 (70.8 percent) in the half.
The Wildcats’ starting lineup featured three new faces as Lyons, Tarczewski and freshman Grant Jerrett all took the court to begin the game. The only two returning starters from last season were Hill and guard Nick Johnson.
Exhibition games against Division-II opponents would seem like an
easy victory for a top-25 team, but last season the Wildcats dropped their preseason opener 69-68 to Seattle Pacific. Last year the Wildcats also played Humboldt State in exhibition play, winning 60-51.
Near the end of the first half, HSU’s Williams carried the Lumberjacks on a 10-0 run and helped to cut the deficit to single digits. The second half was a different story as the Wildcats outscored the Lumberjacks 62-32 and limited them to 38.5 percent shooting.
