Arizona men’s basketball delivered its best performance of the young season with a 71-66 win over the Iowa State Cyclones in the opening round of the Maui Invitational. Here are five stats that defined the Wildcats important win. 

18

Justin Coleman had 18 points in the game, a team-high, with 15 of it coming in the second half. The senior guard scored nine consecutive points during a 12-2 Arizona run late in the game and put an exclamation point on his night with a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:49 to go.

          RELATED: Clutch Coleman carries Arizona to win in Maui

From step-back jumpers and driving layups, to finding open teammates, Coleman proved his worth to Sean Miller’s team and showed why having a veteran point guard is so important.

44

After another slow start, the Wildcats trailed 36-27 after 20 minutes of play, and shot just 9-30 from the field. But once again, Arizona found itself in the second half, riding the 44-point outburst to victory. While Coleman led the way, Brandon Williams added nine points and Ryan Luther had seven in the last 20 minutes.

Arizona improved its shooting, especially from 3-point range, hitting 15-29 total from the field, and 6-14 from beyond the arc.

18 (again)

The Wildcats were bullied down low in the first half, getting out-rebounded 24-16 and allowing Iowa State to have 24 points in the paint. The theme of an improved second half performance applies in the rebounding department too.

Arizona collected 18 rebounds compared to Iowa State’s 16, with 15 of those coming on the defensive end. Chase Jeter and Luther paced the way with 11 combined rebounds in the second half.

The Wildcats rebounded especially well to close the game, allowing for key fast break points – one of which was Coleman’s go-head 3-pointer.

4

Some credit needs to be given to Arizona’s defense for forcing tough shots, but Iowa State struggled mightily from beyond the arc Monday. The Cyclones made just 4 of 24 3-point attempts, and didn’t hit one in the final 11 minutes of the game. 

9

Freshman guard Brandon Williams had an off night from the field, hitting just 2 of his 11 shots, but his presence was felt at the free throw line. Williams posted a stellar 9-10 stat line from the charity stripe. 

Two of his trips to the line came with under 30 second remaining, where the freshman was a perfect 4-4.

Follow Alec White on Twitter