Arizona Wildcats forward Ira Lee (11) gets pumped up and looks towards Arizona Wildcats forward Deandre Ayton (13) before he goes to the foul line in the second half during a game at McKale Center on November 12, 2017. Arizona won 103-78.
Allonzo Trier paved the way for the Wildcats by scoring 30 points on 10 of 18 shooting, becoming the eighth player in program history to post back-to-back 30-point performances.
The undersized Retrievers' game plan was simple: score as many three-pointers as possible and it was effective throughout the first 30 minutes of the game. UMBC shot 14 of 28 from three-point range, but the Wildcats found a nice balance in the post and from outside so the Retrievers' shooting performance became a non-factor down the stretch.
Deandre Ayton had another double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds and showcased his athletic abilities for a 7-foot-1 player by cutting through the lane after an Emmanuel Akot missed shot, stretched back with one arm and threw down the putback dunk.
We know @RealDeandreAy gave a #SCTop10 play in the first half, but we think he just gave @SportsCenter ANOTHER one. #BearDown pic.twitter.com/FtzprVDgfz
— Arizona Basketball (@APlayersProgram) November 13, 2017
Dylan Smith returned from his three-game suspension and recorded six points points and two blocks. Freshman wing Brandon Randolph was limited (concussion), but managed to put together five points in four minutes.
It wasn't a trouble-free win considering UMBC gave the Cats a scare, but Arizona coasted in the final minutes of the game and will now turn to Cal-State Bakersfield on Thursday before leaving for the Bahamas to play in the Battle 4 Atlantis.
Watch what Sean Miller, Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Ayton had to say after the win:
