Arizona freshman forward Lauri Markkanen could hardly miss. And the Wildcats needed almost all of his offense.

Markkanen scored 26 points in his home debut as the short-handed, 10th-ranked Wildcats held off Cal State Bakersfield 78-66 Tuesday night in Tucson, Ariz. The 7-footer from Finland made 8 of 11 shots from the field and all nine of his attempts from the free-throw line.

"I thought Lauri was fantastic," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "The timeliness of his points, it almost felt like 12 to 14 of his points were must-needed baskets. He's a terrific player, and he's one of the many guys who just got here who we are counting on more than you normally do."

Markannen scored 12 of his points in the final eight minutes to help repel a 17-0 run by the Roadrunners, who got within four points after trailing by as many as 21 early in the second half. Markkanen also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

The Wildcats (2-0) had seven available scholarship players and were without senior guard Kadeem Allen, who sprained his left knee Friday in Arizona's win over Michigan State. He will be evaluated later in the week, a school official said.

Arizona already has lost two players to season-ending injuries, and it hasn't played guard Allonzo Trier this season, although there has been no official explanation for that.

Arizona freshman guard Rawle Alkins scored 15 points, making 4 of 6 shots from 3-point range. Freshman guard Kobi Simmons added 13 points. That adds up to 54 total points from freshmen.

"We don't have freshmen on this year's team," Miller said. "You're not allowed to be a freshman."

CSUB senior wing Jaylin Airington finished with a career-high 31 points, including 12 in the 17-0 run, often using his athleticism against a bigger defender.

"He is a guy that is kind of a mismatch problem for some of their players because he can get to the basket," CSUB coach Rod Barnes said. "I thought he was very smart, and I thought our guys did a really good job of getting him open in some situations. He had a great night. For him to step up is big for this team."

Guard Dedrick Basile scored 14 points for CSUB (1-1).

The Wildcats ended the first half on a 12-2 run for a 44-26 lead and extended the advantage to 51-30 on Alkins' 3-pointer with 16:22 to go. At that point, the Roadrunners' pace, pressure and trapping defense began to wear down Arizona and get the Wildcats in foul trouble. Arizona point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright picked up his fourth foul with 13:11 to go.

"When you play with seven scholarship players, especially against a fast team like Bakersfield, they can wear you down," Miller said. "And they wore us down. I thought we did a great job through 24 minutes, but in the last 16, we kind of limped to the finish line."

With no scholarship guards off the bench, Arizona at one point in the first half briefly used a lineup that featured the 6-5 Simmons at point guard with four frontcourt players who go 6-9, 6-11, 7-0 and 7-0. Markkanen effectively was the shooting guard.

The freshman, known for his shooting, made only one 3-pointer but showed an ability to score from all levels.

"Lauri Markkanen is one of the best players in college basketball," Miller said. "He's a monster."

NOTES: Arizona used sophomore walk-on Paulo Cruz with 12:20 left in the first half. He is the son of Joaquim Cruz, a Brazilian who won a gold medal in the 800 meters in 1984 and a silver in 1988. ... Arizona sophomore G Allonzo Trier was on the bench in street clothes. He has not played in four games (including two exhibitions) amid rumors of eligibility issues. School officials have had no comment. ... Arizona has a 34-game nonconference home winning streak. ... Arizona will play three home games in six nights; the Wildcats face Sacred Heart on Friday and Northern Colorado on Monday. ... CSU Bakersfield returns home to play UC Santa Barbara on Saturday night.