The University of Arizona men’s basketball team improved to 2-0 with a 93-67 home-opening victory over Utah Tech University on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. in McKale Center. The Wildcats went into this matchup after returning from a stately 93-87 win over the reigning NCAA Champions, the No. 3 University of Florida Gators.
Three Wildcats completed the night with 18 points, including senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso, freshman guard Brayden Burries and freshman forward Koa Peat. Notably, Burries was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc while Peat was 6-of-7 from the field, respectively.
Senior forward Tobe Awaka put up a double-double consisting of 12 points and a team-high 18 rebounds. Awaka became the seventh Division Ⅰ player since 1996-1997 to grab 18 or more rebounds in 20 minutes or fewer and the first to achieve this feat since Ernest Udeh Jr. did for TCU against East Texas A&M University on Jan. 1, 2024.
“Talk is cheap, whatever people on the outside are saying doesn’t really matter to what we’re trying to do. We’re around each other 24/7, we know what we’re doing in practice day-in-day-out, we know how hard we’ve worked,” Awaka said. “We know what we’re trying to work for.”
Arizona shot 57.1% from the field, holding Utah Tech to 38.2%. The Wildcats also beat the Trailblazers in the paint, outscoring Utah Tech 58-24.
“Things that are learned you know, without friction, without adversity, they’re less valuable than things that are earned with a little bit of struggle and I honestly 100% believe that,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said. “So I appreciate and embrace when those struggles come […]. Let me cook.”
First half
Despite winning the jump-ball, Utah Tech missed its opportunity to score on their first possession while on the other end, Peat put Arizona on the board with a layup. Soon after, Burries hit Arizona’s first 3-pointer of the game to put the Wildcats up 5-0 early in the first period.
Utah Tech built a 9-5 lead, with all its points coming from the charity stripe, prompting an Arizona timeout.
Out of the timeout, Arizona quickly evened out the score 9-9 following a layup made by Dell’Orso. The Wildcats found a 9-0 scoring run as Utah Tech was called for goal tending after Dell’Orso attempted to convert a possession off a turnover.
Peat found his way inside the paint for a two-handed dunk, extending the 23-14 lead. The Wildcats tapped into another scoring run, this time sparked by Dell’Orso who hit back-to-back 3-pointers, leading to a Utah Tech timeout.
With under 8 minutes remaining, Utah Tech hit a shot beyond the arc, followed by a dunk made by Jaden Bradley to get Arizona ahead by 15 points, 36-21. Trailblazer guard Madiba Owona hit a second-chance jumper, trimming the lead to 10 with just under 3 minutes remaining in the first half.
The Wildcats went on almost a 5-minute scoring drought until Burries made a jumper to keep Arizona ahead 42-32. Arizona went into the locker rooms leading 44-37 at halftime.
Dell’Orso led Arizona with 15 first-half points alongside three assists. Peat followed with 10 points of his own, shooting 4-for-5 from the field while Awaka collected nine rebounds for the Wildcats.
Second half
Burries stole Utah Tech’s possession out of the half, converting on the other end with a dunk. Following up his shot with another steal, Burries assisted Peat on a layup on the fast break to get Arizona ahead 48-37. The Wildcats hit a shot from beyond the arc but the Trailblazers quickly responded on the other end with a 3-pointer of their own.
The Trailblazers began to cut the deficit to 7 following a pull up jumper taken by guard Noah Bolanga off a Wildcat turnover. Burries brought the lead back up by double figures after scoring a layup with about 15 minutes left in the second half.
Arizona looked comfortable, holding control of the score as the Wildcats answered any field goal made by the Trailblazers. Bradley opened up a 14-point, 62-48 advantage after scoring a jumper.
Motiejus Krivas scored a dunk on an alley-oop pass, followed by a jumper made in the paint by Bradley. The Wildcats’ 10-0 scoring run was capped off by freshman forward Dwayne Aristode scoring a layup. Utah Tech answered with a 3-pointer on the other end made by senior guard Britton Berrett.
Dell’Orso scored from beyond the perimeter, gaining a 20-point, 71-54 Wildcat edge with just under 9 minutes remaining in the game. Both programs exchanged possessions back-and-forth, but Burries kept Arizona ahead 80-59 following a made 3-pointer.
Krivas scored a dunk that kept the Wildcats up by 20, closing in on the final minutes of the game.
Sidi Gueye, 6-foot-11 freshman forward, entered the game for Arizona, quickly scoring on a layup to push the lead to 26 with about 2 minutes left in regulation. Despite Utah Tech responding to Arizona’s made possessions, it was ultimately too late for the Trailblazers to make a comeback.
Aristode scored a 3-pointer on Arizona’s final possession as the Wildcats won with a final score of 93-67 over Utah Tech.
“I’m thankful for the fans that come out. We’re going to embrace it, I hope our fans enjoy this team and enjoy this experience and enjoy the ride because you know what, it might be bumpy, but it’s going to be an adventure,” Lloyd said. “We need every one of them and we appreciate every one of them.”
Looking ahead
The Wildcats remain home as Arizona prepares to host NAU on Tuesday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. in McKale Center. The game will also be streamed on ESPN+.
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