The University of Arizona men’s basketball team (5-5, 0-0, Big 12) defeated Samford University 96-64 on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m. in McKale Center. In attendance alongside over 12,000 Arizona fans were players for the Indiana Pacers, who came in support of former Wildcat T.J. McConnell as he was inducted into Arizona’s Ring of Honor.
McConnell, who has marked 10 years in the NBA, is the 34th Wildcat to be inducted into the Ring of Honor. Last season, the Pacers also traveled to Tucson when Benedict Mathurin was inducted in the Ring of Honor on Jan. 20 at home against UCLA.
“I didn’t even know I’d be playing professional basketball […]. The world works in mysterious ways. I’ve been incredibly blessed but to come back here 10 years later and be in the Ring of Honor, you can’t really put it into words,” said McConnell in a press conference after the game.
Arizona was led by Caleb Love, who finished with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Four other Wildcats completed the night in double figures, including Trey Townsend and Anthony Dell’Orso who put 14 points apiece. Additionally, KJ Lewis and Jaden Bradley both recorded 11 points. Townsend added on eight rebounds to lead Arizona defensively.
First half
Bradley made a dunk to give an early 6-3 lead for Arizona. Collin Holloway hit a 3-pointer for Samford, narrowing Arizona’s lead to 2 points with 13 minutes remaining in the first half. Arizona found a way to create a 13-point gap in the score after Love hit a layup on the fastbreak with just over seven minutes left in the half. The Bulldogs attempted to combat the growing lead, getting within 14 points at a 41-27 score with less than five minutes remaining before halftime.
The Wildcats gave no space for a comeback, leading by as many as 25 points in the first half. Arizona went into halftime with a 23-point advantage to lead the Bulldogs 56-33. The Wildcats hit 61.3% of their shots from the field, scoring 30 of their 56 points in the paint. Arizona held Samford to shoot just 12-of-28 of its first half shots.
Love led Arizona, scoring 18 of his final 23 points in the first half of the game while also grabbing two steals. Dell’Orso and Townsend followed second, putting up 8 points apiece. Additionally, Townsend and Tobe Awaka secured four boards on the glass to help out the Wildcats defensively.
Second half
Samford didn’t hesitate to respond, going on a 7-0 scoring run early in the second half. The Wildcats tapped into their offense, finding a scoring run of their own to build the lead back up to 21 after a second-chance layup by Lewis. The Wildcats allowed no room for the Bulldogs to respond as Love made a layup on the fast break to give Arizona a 79-56 lead.
With 3:08 remaining in regulation, Townsend hit a jumper in the paint, followed by a dunk by Henri Veesaar as Arizona maintained control the entire match. Samford proved unable to make a dent in the score, collapsing under the 32-point lead Arizona created. Lewis led the second half with 9 points, going 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Arizona ended the game with a dominant 96-64 win over Samford.
“[Playing in] transition is great but you know, you also have to be good in the halfcourt and I thought our ball movement was better just overall today, just had a little better feel to it […]. We were connected in a few more passes and that’s really important. The way we play, passing the ball is so important and you know, quite frankly, it just hasn’t been quite been good enough up to this point. So, hopefully we can keep making progress there,” said head coach Tommy Lloyd after the game.
Looking ahead
The Wildcats will remain home as they host Central Michigan University on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. in McKale Center.
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