No. 3 Arizona 87, Utah Valley 56: Stanley Johnson had 14 points and seven rebounds to lead a balanced attack as the Wildcats cruised past the visiting Wolverines.
Dusan Ristic scored a career-high 13 points while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson collected 12 points and 10 rebounds for Arizona (9-0), which shot 59.6 percent and led by as many as 34 points late in the second half. Gabe York chipped in 11 points as the Wildcats extended their home winning streak to 27 games.
Chad Ross led Utah Valley (3-5) with 12 points, Marcel Davis added 10 and Mitch Bruneel had five points and six rebounds. The Wolverines, who concluded a stretch of seven straight road games, shot 36.2 percent and were outrebounded 40-23 while committing 18 turnovers.
Arizona took control with a 15-2 run midway through the first half and led 42-28 after Elliott Pitts drained a 3-pointer to end the half. The Wildcats held Utah Valley without a field goal for a stretch of 7:17 in the second half and led 66-33 on Parker Jackson-Cartwright’s free throw with just under 10 1/2 minutes remaining.
The Wildcats’ commanding lead resulted in extensive playing time for reserves such as Ristic, Jackson-Cartwright and Craig Victor, who scored six points. Brandon Ashley and Pitts added seven points apiece for Arizona, which recorded the convincing win despite shooting 19-of-32 from the foul line and 6-of-20 from 3-point range.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ashley and Arizona coach Sean Miller were each assessed a technical foul after Ashley clashed with the Wolverines G Alex Carr with just under 10 minutes remaining. … Arizona G T.J. McConnell turned in the play of the game early in the second half when he dove on a loose ball and quickly passed to York, who scored on a breakaway dunk. … The Wildcats have won 36 consecutive regular-season non-conference games, the longest streak in the nation.
Utah Valley | Arizona | |
Chad Ross 12 | Scoring | Stanley Johnson 14 |
Marcel Davis 3 | Assists | Parker Jackson-Cartwright 3 |
Mitch Bruneel 6 | Rebounds | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 10 |
Donte Williams 8 | Free Throws Made | Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 4 |
Brenden Evans 1 | Steals | Stanley Johnson 3 |
Boston Gubler 1 | Blocks | Dusan Ristic 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Utah Valley | 56 | 36.2 | 6-13 | 16-24 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
Arizona | 87 | 59.6 | 6-20 | 19-32 | 16 | 39 | 8 | 9 | 15 |