Arizona Wildcats come alive in 2nd half, surpass UC Irvine: By the Numbers

For quite some time Wednesday, it looked like UC Irvine was prepared to do whatever it takes to upset the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats at the McKale Center.

The Anteaters hung around for a majority of the first half and then made their move just before the end of the period, taking a three-point lead into the intermission.

Both teams weren’t shooting well, but UC Irvine held on to the lead for a majority of the second half. However, the Wildcats eventually woke up, and soon enough, a rout was on.

Arizona ended up winning its third-straight game to start the season, emerging by a final of 71-54. The loss was the Anteaters’ first in three contests this year, while UA remained undefeated at home.

Here’s a look at Wednesday’s contest by the numbers:

3

Gabe York shot just 1-for-6 from the field Wednesday, but the 6-foot-3 junior guard came up big on the defensive side with three blocks. He also added two steals, and he made five of his six free throw attempts.

10

Freshman forward Stanley Johnson pulled down 10 rebounds for the first time in his short career. The amount was more than he recorded in his first two games combined. He is just the second Wildcat to reach double-figures in rebounding this year, with the other being Kaleb Tarczewski, who grabbed 10 in the season-opening win over Mount St. Mary’s.

13:05

The Anteaters took a lead with 58 seconds left in the first half, and they stayed out in front for the first 12:07 of the final half, meaning they were ahead for more than 13 consecutive minutes of game time. After UA went ahead at the 7:53 mark, the home team never looked back.

19

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson helped Arizona dig itself out of a hole and eventually emerge on top. The sophomore forward came off the bench and made 4-of-7 shots from the field and 11-of-13 free throws for a season high of 19 points. He also added six rebounds and a block. Two of his 19 points came off of this huge throwdown:

Hollis-Jefferson later met up with the 7-foot-6 victim of that play.

After the game @RondaeHJ23 and Ndiaye exchanging numbers. RHJ tells him “I told you I would dunk on you tonight.” pic.twitter.com/RMaeSfvgt7

— Ryan Hansen (@uaryno) November 20, 2014

Under 40

Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field on the night — Arizona made just 39.6 percent of its shots, compared to UC Irvine’s 37.0 percent clip.

40

With all of the missed shots going around, the Wildcats grabbed a season-high 40 rebounds Wednesday, including 13 off the offensive glass. UC Irvine, meanwhile, managed 30 total boards. Arizona has yet to be out-rebounded this season.

45-25

Compared to the team’s output of 26 points in the first half, UA’s second-half total of 45 was practically an offensive explosion. The Anteaters only managed 25 points after the half, thus making the final score appear so lopsided.

85.3

Arizona had a rare outstanding night from the free throw line, making 29-of-34 attempts for a season-high mark of 85.3 percent. The Wildcats’ success from the line helped them pull away in the final minutes. UC Irvine, meanwhile, only took 13 attempts all night, making nine of them (69.2 percent).