For the first time in more than 50 years and for just the third time in history Arizona faced Cal Poly on the basketball court, defeating them 73-62 in front of a sold-out crowd Friday evening at McKale Center.
After coming out flat in the first half, sophomore guard Gabe York began to show his true colors again. The Orange, Calif. native sunk his first three-point attempt of the second half and junior guard T.J. McConnell added a bucket of his own to give the Wildcats a six point lead four minutes into the half.
York ended the night with 12 points, five rebounds, and an assist. McConnell finished with a team-leading six assists and had two rebounds and two steals.
Cal Poly continued to battle competitively, keeping up the best it could with Arizona, and halfway through the second period, was only down by eight.
The Wildcats soon broke through, widening their gap, and leading by 13 points at one time.
Freshman forward Aaron Gordon continued an impressive opening night performance and managed to compile a double-double in his first official game as a Wildcat. He had a team-leading 13 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks.
Ashley became the first Wildcat this season to score double-digit points, and was one of six players who amassed double digits on the night. He compiled two points and four rebounds in the second half, bringing his totals to 11 and nine respectively to go along with a block and a steal.
Sophomore center Kaleb Tarczewski contributed 11 points and added a block during the first half.
Freshman forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson was sent to the free-throw line a team-leading 10 times tonight and shot 2-for-2 from the field, garnering 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal.
Junior guard Nick Johnson continued to step up as one of the team leaders and had 11 points, two rebounds, and an assist.