The No. 2 Arizona men’s basketball team secured its seventh consecutive victory, winning 91-68 over Norfolk State University on Saturday, Nov. 29, at 2 p.m. in McKale Center.
The Wildcats are now tied with Purdue University in the NCAA and could be expected to move further in the AP poll rankings.
Junior center Motiejus Krivas led the match with 20 points, going 7-for-8 in field goals. Behind Krivas was freshman forward Koa Peat and senior guard Anthony Dell’Orso, with 16 points apiece. Krivas had an additional game high of nine rebounds.
First half
After a close first few minutes of play, the Wildcats performed a full court press, guarding the Spartans from the inbound until bringing the ball down the court. The teams shared points, keeping the score a tie game with limited leads.
Freshman guard Brayden Burries and Peat helped drive the team’s offense, combining for 17 points on the half, Burries claiming 10.
Peat and Krivas worked together in the paint to add a dunk, slipping past Norfolk State’s defense. Peat followed with a 3-point play of his own, advancing Arizona’s lead 12-8.
Impressively, Norfolk State contributed on the other end, cutting the lead in half. Off a Wildcat turnover, Norfolk State capitalized and added to its score. The Spartans continued to creep closer to Arizona as the Wildcats worked to hold their lead with points from Krivas and Peat.
On the other end, a Spartan turnover gave the Wildcats a look at the hoop. They were able to draw the foul and send Tobe Awaka to the line where he made 1-of-2 shots.
Norfolk State responded with a 3-pointer from Elijah Jamison, bringing them within 1 point of Arizona. In a fast break, Dell’Orso found his footing, getting to the line and adding 2 points. Dwayne Aristode and Krivas subbed out, bringing back Jaden Bradley and Peat. Despite the depth in the Wildcats bench, Norfolk State pulled into the lead, 19-18. This was quickly reversed with a bucket from Burries.
However, Jamison hit another 3-pointer, pulling Norfolk State back into the lead. Freshman forward Ivan Kharchenkov saw his first bucket of the game, tying the score at 22.
Peat continued to drive into the paint, drawing fouls and putting points on the board. Bradley was consistent for Arizona, adding strength on the ball and grabbing key rebounds to find fast transition points.
Dell’Orso tried to add in lay-ups, but was ultimately blocked by Norfolk State players in the paint. From around the arc, the Spartans found immense success, shooting 40% to find several leads throughout the game.
The Wildcats struggled at the line, giving away key opportunities to score. As a result of the physicality in this match, Kharchenkov suffered an injury, leaving him out of the game with under 10 minutes left in the half.
The Wildcats started to gain more looks at the hoop, earning three back-to-back 3-point opportunities from Awaka, Burries and Krivas. After several successful plays followed, the Wildcats advanced into a 13-point lead, their highest of the match.
Krivas closed out the half with a powerful dunk, 47-32.
Second half
Burries had the first points of the half with a baseline 3-pointer. Arizona quickly saw a 20-point lead with contributions all across the board. Peat and Krivas continued to be key contributors for the Wildcats, with Aristode and Dell’Orso finding points as well.
The Spartans saw points here and there, but remained trailing the Wildcats. Aristode and Awaka surged at the hoop, trying to draw fouls and earn shots in the paint. Norfolk State, at this point, started to lose control of the ball and lost key possessions that kept them in the game in the first half.
Dell’Orso sank a baseline 3-pointer to put the Wildcats just shy of a 30-point lead. The game took a drastic turn from the first half to the second half as Arizona completed 33% of its 3-point shots compared to the first half where the Wildcats saw none of their attempts fall.
Awaka bodied in the paint, scavenging for 2-point buckets. His defense was crucial for the Wildcats as well, bringing down eight rebounds while recording 13 points. Bradley continued to find the line for the Wildcats, going 3-for-3 during the game while contributing two field goals.
With under 10 minutes left in the match, fifth-year transfer Evan Nelson subbed in, and Arizona quickly found a 40-point lead. Nelson nearly sank a baseline 3-pointer, but it ricocheted off the rim into Spartan hands.
Norfolk State desperately fought for shots to try and gain momentum as the game neared its end, but they weren’t able to find success like they saw in the first 20 minutes of play. As the game came to a close, the Wildcats earned their seventh win of the season, 98-61.
Looking ahead
The Wildcats will advance to take on Auburn University on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 8 p.m. in McKale Center.
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