Jordin Mayes scored 19 points, Jesse Perry grabbed 11 rebounds and Arizona overcame 21 turnovers to outlast Duquesne, 67-59, in McKale Center on Wednesday.
Mayes hit 4-of-7 shots from 3-point range, including a shot that put Arizona (2-0) up for good with 13 minutes to play — the Wildcats’ first lead since there was 1:13 to play in the first half. Perry added 11 points to notch his second double-double in as many games.
Duquesne (0-1) took the lead late in the first half on a Jerry Jones 3-pointer, and ended the half on an 11-2 run to take a 30-28 lead into the locker room. The Dukes were held to just 33-percent shooting from the field.
The Wildcats turned the ball over 11 times in the opening frame and the struggles continued with nine more in the second half. Senior guard Brendon Lavender came off the bench to add seven points on 3-of-5 shooting.
The two teams combined for 45 fouls and shot 59 free throws.
Mayes got his first start of the season in place of freshman Josiah Turner, who was late to the team’s shootaround. Starting center Kyryl Natyazhko notched just six minutes and the Wildcats played with a three-guard lineup for most of the contest.
Solomon Hill’s struggles continued for much of the night. He scored just seven points and grabbed nine rebounds while turning the ball over four times and committing four fouls. Freshman forward Angelo Chol’s strong start continued, scoring 6 points and grabbing 8 rebounds.
Freshman guard Nick Johnson scored eight points despite hitting just one shot from the field. Johnson shot 6-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Arizona continues its season on Sunday when it hosts Ball State at 4 p.m.