No. 20 Arizona stomps Anteaters

[December 07, 2016]  Arizona solved a 2-3 zone -- and actually played some of its own.

Junior center Dusan Ristic found soft spots in the zone and was effective close to the basket, recording the second double-double of his career, as the 20th-ranked Wildcats cruised past UC Irvine 79-57 on Tuesday night in Tucson, Ariz.

Ristic finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds. He made 8 of 11 shots from the field overall, and he scored 14 points before halftime.

Power forward Lauri Markkanen also scored 18 points, doing most of his damage in the second half after scoring just five before the break. He made 4 of 6 3-point shots and 7 of 10 from the floor overall.

Wildcats wing Rawle Alkins filled the box score with 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

"I thought overall this was one of the most satisfying wins we've had in a long time, just because of the circumstances surrounding our team. They're not the best," said Arizona coach Sean Miller, who has only seven available scholarship players.

"We don't like to talk about it. The focus should not be on who we don't have or who is not here. It should be on those players we do have and how do we put them in the best position to be successful."

Arizona (7-2) led by 16 points at halftime and was never threatened in the second half, leading by as many as 30.

The Anteaters (4-5) made only 4 of 20 shots from 3-point range. Guard Jaron Martin led UC Irvine with 12 points, and guard Max Hazzard added 10.

Arizona played its second game without starting point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who is expected to be out about eight weeks because of a high ankle sprain. With the Wildcats dealing with some foul trouble and needing to rest players a bit, Miller took the unusual step of going away from his pack-line defense, switching to a 2-3 zone with about 16 minutes to play.

He stayed in the zone for about five minutes and also turned to walk-on guard Tyler Trillo, who ended up playing 13 scoreless minutes after halftime.

"Being able to rest players is big," Miller said. "Mixing in a zone, playing walk-ons, being smart, that's all very important for us. ... We have four conference games left, and it's about surviving."

The game was played at UC Irvine's pace for much of the first half, with the Anteaters slowing down the game by using their 2-3 zone and being patient on offense. However, the Wildcats picked up the scoring when they started to find Ristic down low, and then point guard Kadeem Allen fueled a late surge.

Allen scored seven points, including a 3-pointer, in a half-ending, 9-0 run that gave Arizona a 39-23 lead. Allen finished with 12 points and six assists.

"I thought that if we played our style of basketball and played good defense and rebounded well that we would have a chance to keep this game close, given their roster situation," UCI coach Russell Turner said. "But we weren't really able to maintain our focus on doing the things we said."

NOTES: Arizona G Allonzo Trier has missed every game this season, although the school has not commented on the reason for his absence. He averaged 14.8 points per game as a freshman last season. ... UC Irvine G Luke Nelson, a returning All-Big West selection, has not played this season because of a hamstring injury. ... Anteaters F John Edgar Jr. is the son of former Arizona C John Edgar, who was a senior captain on the 1986 team that won the school's first Pac-10 title. Edgar Jr. scored two points in 12 minutes. Edgar Sr. and former Arizona teammate Pete Williams traveled from California to attend the game. ... UC Irvine G Max Hazzard is the brother of former Arizona walk-on Jacob Hazzard, who completed his eligibility last season. ... Arizona PF Chance Comanche fouled out with 8:53 left. He scored two points.

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