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SEATTLE — Throughout all their inconsistencies this season, the Arizona Wildcats always had a formula for drubbing mid-major opponents: Dominate with size, share the ball and defend capability on the perimeter.
Their first-round NCAA Tournament game with 13th-seeded Akron was no exception. In their 93-65 win over 13th-seeded Akron on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena, the fourth-seeded Wildcats crushed the Zips inside and held their normally efficient 3-point shooting to under 30% while five Arizona players scored in double figures.
The win moved fourth-seeded Arizona to 23-12 and into a second-round game Sunday against the winner of Friday’s late first-round game between fifth-seeded Oregon and 12 seed Liberty.
Akron, winners of the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles, finished the season at 28-7.
Guard Jaden Bradley led the Wildcats with 19 points and hit 3 of 5 3-pointers while also collecting six rebounds and three assists, while Trey Townsend had 16 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Carter Bryant added 12 points and five rebounds.
Inside, center Tobe Awaka had four points and eight rebounds while Henri Veesaar had eight points and seven rebounds.
Together, the Wildcats outrebounded Akron 53-26 and outscored them 48-20 in the paint. Arizona also shot 56% while holding Akron to 33% and keeping the Zips to just 7 of 25 3-point shooting.
Leading by 10 at halftime, Arizona jumped to a 50-33 lead after a 3 from Jaden Bradley less than four minutes into the second half. Continuing to dominate the glass and shoot over 50% early in the second half, the Wildcats first went up by 20 with 15:17 left on a 3 from KJ Lewis and later scored seven straight to go ahead 73-50 with 8:36 left.
Love hit a 3-pointer with 5:32 left to put the Wildcats up 81-53 and the game was out of reach from there.
In the first half, Townsend had 11 points and five rebounds in the first half to lead Arizona to a 41-31 halftime lead.
Establishing their size advantage early and often, the Wildcats jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never trailed while shooting 54.5% and holding Akron to just 32.4%. The Zips, which entered the game with the 46th-best 3-point percentage nationally (36.6) hit 3 of 10 3-pointers.
While holding the Zips defensively from the perimeter, Arizona also dominated inside. They outrebounded Akron 30-13 and outscored the Zips 24-12 in the paint.
However, the Wildcats had 12 turnovers in the first half and shot just 2 of 8 from the free-throw line.
While Townsend had 11 points, Bradley had nine and Carter Bryant seven. Caleb Love had five points and five rebounds in the first half.
For Akron, guard Tavari Johnson scored 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting in the first half, including a fast-break jumper he launched just before the halftime buzzer.
Getting early 3s from Townsend and Love, Arizona jumped to a 9-0 advantage in the first two minutes, with Awaka blocking an Akron shot that led to Townsend’s 3.
The Zips battled back, going on a 6-0 run that allowed them to tie the game at 11 when Shammah Scott hit a 3-pointer with 13:51 left, but never took a lead. Arizona later scored six straight of its own, with Townsend putting back a missed 3-pointer from KJ Lewis and hitting a hookshot in the paint, while Awaka put back his own miss.
A 3-pointer from Anthony Dell’Orso gave UA a 28-19 lead with 5:44 to go and Bryant later hit a 3 from the top of the key to give the Wildcats their first double-digit lead, 31-21, with 4:35 left in the half.
If Oregon beats Liberty, Arizona would end up playing out a reunion of an old Pac-12 rivalry. The Ducks met Arizona three times last season in their final Pac-12 go-round together, with Arizona winning twice during the regular season and the Ducks beating the Wildcats in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: UA Wildcats crush Akron in NCAA Tournament 1st-round game in Seattle
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Their first-round NCAA Tournament game with 13th-seeded Akron was no exception. In their 93-65 win over 13th-seeded Akron on Friday at Climate Pledge Arena, the fourth-seeded Wildcats crushed the Zips inside and held their normally efficient 3-point shooting to under 30% while five Arizona players scored in double figures.
The win moved fourth-seeded Arizona to 23-12 and into a second-round game Sunday against the winner of Friday’s late first-round game between fifth-seeded Oregon and 12 seed Liberty.
Akron, winners of the Mid-American Conference regular-season and tournament titles, finished the season at 28-7.
Guard Jaden Bradley led the Wildcats with 19 points and hit 3 of 5 3-pointers while also collecting six rebounds and three assists, while Trey Townsend had 16 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Carter Bryant added 12 points and five rebounds.
Inside, center Tobe Awaka had four points and eight rebounds while Henri Veesaar had eight points and seven rebounds.
Together, the Wildcats outrebounded Akron 53-26 and outscored them 48-20 in the paint. Arizona also shot 56% while holding Akron to 33% and keeping the Zips to just 7 of 25 3-point shooting.
Leading by 10 at halftime, Arizona jumped to a 50-33 lead after a 3 from Jaden Bradley less than four minutes into the second half. Continuing to dominate the glass and shoot over 50% early in the second half, the Wildcats first went up by 20 with 15:17 left on a 3 from KJ Lewis and later scored seven straight to go ahead 73-50 with 8:36 left.
Love hit a 3-pointer with 5:32 left to put the Wildcats up 81-53 and the game was out of reach from there.
In the first half, Townsend had 11 points and five rebounds in the first half to lead Arizona to a 41-31 halftime lead.
Establishing their size advantage early and often, the Wildcats jumped out to a 9-0 lead and never trailed while shooting 54.5% and holding Akron to just 32.4%. The Zips, which entered the game with the 46th-best 3-point percentage nationally (36.6) hit 3 of 10 3-pointers.
While holding the Zips defensively from the perimeter, Arizona also dominated inside. They outrebounded Akron 30-13 and outscored the Zips 24-12 in the paint.
However, the Wildcats had 12 turnovers in the first half and shot just 2 of 8 from the free-throw line.
While Townsend had 11 points, Bradley had nine and Carter Bryant seven. Caleb Love had five points and five rebounds in the first half.
For Akron, guard Tavari Johnson scored 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting in the first half, including a fast-break jumper he launched just before the halftime buzzer.
Getting early 3s from Townsend and Love, Arizona jumped to a 9-0 advantage in the first two minutes, with Awaka blocking an Akron shot that led to Townsend’s 3.
The Zips battled back, going on a 6-0 run that allowed them to tie the game at 11 when Shammah Scott hit a 3-pointer with 13:51 left, but never took a lead. Arizona later scored six straight of its own, with Townsend putting back a missed 3-pointer from KJ Lewis and hitting a hookshot in the paint, while Awaka put back his own miss.
A 3-pointer from Anthony Dell’Orso gave UA a 28-19 lead with 5:44 to go and Bryant later hit a 3 from the top of the key to give the Wildcats their first double-digit lead, 31-21, with 4:35 left in the half.
If Oregon beats Liberty, Arizona would end up playing out a reunion of an old Pac-12 rivalry. The Ducks met Arizona three times last season in their final Pac-12 go-round together, with Arizona winning twice during the regular season and the Ducks beating the Wildcats in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: UA Wildcats crush Akron in NCAA Tournament 1st-round game in Seattle
Continue reading...
