No. 11 Arizona 82, Charleston Southern 73: Mark Lyons scored 17 points and dished out six assists in his Arizona debut to lead five players in double figures as the 11th-ranked Wildcats survived a scare from the visiting Buccaneers.
Solomon Hill had 14 points and five rebounds and Nick Johnson added 12 points and six assists for Arizona (1-0). Brandon Ashley contributed 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
The Buccaneers (0-2) started the game on an 11-3 run and didn't allow Arizona to take its first lead until the Wildcats pulled ahead 26-25 on Jordin Mayes' jumper with 4:59 left in the first half. The game was tied as late as the 15:09 mark, but Charleston Southern could't get over the hump in its upset bid.
The Wildcats had a huge size edge in the post but did not take full advantage, instead relying heavily on outside shooting. Arizona was 11-of-32 from 3-point range and shot 45 percent overall.
Arlon Harper scored 20 points, and Mathiang Muo added 16 points and seven rebounds for Charleston Southern. Saah Nimley chipped in 11 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Buccaneers.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Arizona won its 10th consecutive home opener, and coach Sean Miller remained perfect in season openers in nine years as a head coach. … The Wildcats improved to 3-0 all-time against current Big South Conference teams. … Charleston Southern shot 44 percent, much better than its 29 percent effort in a season-opening 68-58 loss to Charlotte on Friday.
Charleston Southern | Arizona | |
Arlon Harper 20 | Scoring | Mark Lyons 17 |
Saah Nimley 7 | Assists | Nick Johnson 6 |
Saah Nimley 8 | Rebounds | Brandon Ashley 8 |
Arlon Harper 7 | Free Throws Made | Brandon Ashley 8 |
Arlon Harper 2 | Steals | Brandon Ashley 1 |
Allie Fullah 1 | Blocks | Brandon Ashley 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Charleston Southern | 73 | 44.0 | 10-28 | 19-29 | 14 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 15 |
Arizona | 82 | 45.0 | 11-32 | 17-22 | 25 | 29 | 7 | 6 | 8 |