National Basketball Association
Arizona 74, New Mexico St. 48
When: 9:00 PM ET, Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Where: McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona
Officials:
# Tony Padilla, # Rick Randall, # Mike Scyphers
Attendance:
14545
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 1 Arizona 74, New Mexico State 48: Brandon Ashley scored 15 points and connected on all three of his 3-point attempts as the top-ranked Wildcats crushed the visiting Aggies.
Kaleb Tarczewski scored 14 points, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson finished with 12-points and a game-high eight rebounds and Aaron Gordon added 11 points for Arizona (10-0). The Wildcats took over the No. 1 national ranking on Monday for the first time since 2003.
Daniel Mullings scored a game-high 18 points for New Mexico State (7-5). The Aggies, who lost their fourth straight game, shot just 32.6 percent from the floor and were 2-of-11 from 3-point range.
Despite spending the final nine minutes on the bench after picking up his second foul, Ashley still had a team-best 10 points in the first half. After a Mullings' jumper gave the Aggies an early 10-5 lead, Ashley scored seven points during a 13-1 run by the Wildcats over the next 4:52 en route to a 32-24 halftime lead.
New Mexico State got as close as six points twice early in the second half before Arizona took control with a 12-3 spurt capped by a dunk by Tarczewski off a pass from Ashley. The Wildcats closed the game out with another 16-3 run and held the Aggies without a field goal over the final 8:44.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Wildcats came into the game ranked No. 2 in the country in rebounding margin (plus-14.1) and finished with a 38-22 edge on the boards. ... Arizona improved to 34-4 in non-conference home games under Sean Miller. ... The Wildcats next play at No. 25 Michigan on Saturday.
Top Game Performances
New Mexico St. |
|
Arizona |
Daniel Mullings 18 |
Scoring |
Brandon Ashley 15 |
Daniel Mullings 3 |
Assists |
T.J. McConnell 6 |
Sim Bhullar 7 |
Rebounds |
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 8 |
Daniel Mullings 6 |
Free Throws Made |
Kaleb Tarczewski 4 |
DK Eldridge 2 |
Steals |
T.J. McConnell 3 |
Sim Bhullar 2 |
Blocks |
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
New Mexico St.
|
48 |
32.6 |
2-11 |
16-22 |
8 |
19 |
2 |
6 |
16 |
Arizona
|
74 |
51.8 |
4-10 |
12-19 |
16 |
31 |
7 |
5 |
13 |