TUCSON — Ivan Kharchenkov scored 20 points, Caleb Holt added 17 and No. 12 Arizona rolled to a 90-59 victory over Northern Arizona on Tuesday night at McKale Center, according to The Associated Press.
The Wildcats (2-1) used their size to overpower the Lumberjacks (0-3), building a 24-point halftime lead and stretching it with an 18-3 run in the second half.
Arizona shot 62% from the floor, held a 52-20 edge in points in the paint and assisted on 26 of its 37 field goals, the AP reported. It was Arizona’s second straight blowout win since a season-opening loss to No. 9 UCLA.
Kharchenkov added seven rebounds and seven assists. Motiejus Krivas had 16 points and seven rebounds, giving Arizona’s top three scorers 53 combined points.
With NAU collapsing on Krivas in the paint, Arizona moved the ball for open looks. The Wildcats shot 17 of 26 in the first half, led 46-22 at the break and held NAU scoreless over the final 3:21 of the half.
Bryce James, son of NBA star LeBron James, drew one of the night’s biggest cheers when he blocked Lucas Toukam’s dunk attempt and followed with a 3-pointer that made it 55-29, according to the AP.
Chris Komin led NAU with 17 points and Ryan Abelman added 14. The Lumberjacks went 4 of 16 from 3-point range in the first half.
Arizona again played without forward RJ Godfrey, who missed his third straight game while awaiting a decision on his eligibility.
Sources: Arizona Sports/AP. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Msr69er / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
