PHOENIX – The No. 1 Arizona men’s basketball team (11-0) dominated San Diego State University 68-45 on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 8:30 p.m. in the Hall of Fame Series. The Wildcats have now won their last six consecutive games by at least 20 points for the first time since the 1942-1943 season.
Arizona had five players score in double figures despite shooting 38% from the floor and 6-for-25 from deep. Premier point guard Jaden Bradley earned player of the game by scoring 11 points and hauling in seven rebounds while converting 7-for-9 from the charity stripe. Not to be outdone by senior forward Tobe Awaka, who was a hound on the glass, bringing in a game-high 15 rebounds and scoring 9 points.
“I know Tobe’s [Awaka] been putting himself on people’s radar, just the force he’s playing with and how much better he’s gotten, it’s crazy impressive,” Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd said after the win.
“Any way I can affect the team to help us put us in the win category, I’m gonna do it,” Awaka said post-game.
First half
Right from tip-off, freshman sensation Koa Peat picked up his first personal foul 45 seconds into the game, a habit the top prospect has struggled with all season.
Through the first 5 minutes, Arizona had a hard time converting on the offensive end, shooting just 43%. Five minutes later, the Wildcats’ struggles continued as the team had yet to connect from downtown, going 0-for-6. Additionally, Arizona turned the ball over four times, all while trailing SDSU 19-11 after a 6-0 scoring run from the Aztecs.
During that span, Peat picked up his second personal foul and was subbed out for the rest of the half, despite having 6 points on 75% shooting. Freshman phenom Brayden Burries put a stop to the bleeding — banking in an -1 and cutting the deficit to 3.
Shortly after, the Wildcats lost momentum as SDSU led by as much as 7 points before Arizona would respond. Going on an 8-0 run after sharpshooter Anthony Dell’Orso connected on a deep 3-pointer, the Wildcats came back on top 28-27 to close the half.
During the run, SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher received a technical foul for arguing with the official, giving Arizona an extra spark before the break.
Second half
Starting the second half, Bradley found Peat in transition and flushed home a two-handed dunk to get the crowd rocking. On the following possession, Arizona pushed the tempo and extended their lead to 32-29 after Ivan Kharchenkov laid home 2 points off a Peat assist.
Kharchenkov didn’t stop there, as the freshman from Germany drilled a shot from long range, giving the Wildcats a 37-31 lead. Arizona kept their foot on the gas, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers from Dell’Orso and Dwayne Aristode, to go up by 13, forcing the Aztecs to call timeout.
Arizona’s suffocating defense forced SDSU to take tough shots and limited the Aztecs to getting to the line just eight times in the second half, only allowing 18 second-half points on 25% from the floor.
“It probably doesn’t get enough attention, but we’re also a pretty good defensive team. I thought our guys did a great job just being sticky and having constant ball pressure on these guys and in the right spots in the gaps […]. That really was the story of the game. Everyone’s going to make it about the 3-point shooting, but it was really our man-to-man defense that really was the differentiator,” Lloyd said postgame.
Later in the half, the Wildcats started running away with the lead after Awaka came away with yet another offensive board and slammed home the put-back, reviving the energy in the ‘McKale North’ crowd.
The next possession, Awaka tacked on 2 more points, followed by Bradley sinking the fadeaway jumper, stretching the lead to 22. With less than 2 minutes to play, Burries buried a 3-pointer following the monstrous alley-oop slam from Burries to Peat to put the game officially out of reach.
The Aztecs scored 7 points off of Arizona’s first three turnovers, but despite having a total of 11 turnovers, SDSU scored only 2 points the rest of the way.
Arizona dominated on the glass, out rebounding SDSU 52-28, allowing the Wildcats to score 14 second-chance points. UA continues to dominate their opponents all season long in the paint, and Saturday night was no different, with Arizona scoring 32 points to the Aztecs’ 24 down low.
“This is the only team in the country where you actually hope they make their free throws because if they make one and miss the second, they’re going to get 60% of those and make a 3-point play,” Dutcher said on Arizona’s rebounding postgame.
Looking ahead
The No. 1 team in the land will have a quick turnaround and host Bethune-Cookman University on Monday at 7 p.m. in McKale Center.
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