Ashley gives Cats boost in 78-55 win

To his trainer. To his surgeon. To his teammates, coaches and fans.

So Friday, during the Wildcats’ 78-55 season-opening win over Mount St. Mary’s, he added a more tangible gift for all that help during his comeback from a nasty foot injury.

It arrived just when Arizona needed it most.

The Cats looked tentative early during their first game before a full house of 14,655 at the newly renovated McKale Center — coughing up five turnovers over the first six minutes — but just about every time they turned to Ashley, good things happened.

The junior made dunks, scored around the basket and sank midrange jumpers, stretching the limits of the Mountaineers’ defense. He added two steals and six rebounds while totaling a career-high 21 points. He scored 20 as a freshman against Long Beach State in 2012-13, when he had yet to develop much of a perimeter game.

“Brandon Ashley was outstanding,” UA coach Sean Miller said. “It might have been the best game he’s ever played at Arizona. It was awesome to see.”

In more ways than one.

Not only did Ashley give a boost to a team Miller continues to call “nervous” — after struggles against Saint Mary’s during a closed scrimmage and against Cal Poly Pomona in an exhibition — but the forward also appeared to already be near the level he was at in January, before he was hurt in a game at Cal.

All that, however, wasn’t really his focus. After nine months away from games, he just wanted to be in one.

“Honestly, I didn’t think about how I played,” Ashley said. “It was more just about that I was able to get back on court. My trainer did a great job to help me get back in position and compete like that and my doctor who performed my surgery did a fantastic job.”

Ashley’s impact became clear shortly after Arizona was slogging against the Mountaineers midway through the first half.

The Wildcats led only 17-16 after 13 minutes, but Ashley scored eight of Arizona’s 11 points over the next five minutes and the Wildcats held a double-digit lead when Ashley dunked with a minute left in the half. Ashley also dished an assist to freshman point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright for a three-pointer.

It was more of the same in the second half. Leading by 40-25 at halftime after finishing the first half on a defense-fueled 12-0 run, the Wildcats were ahead just 51-44 with 11 minutes left in the game before Ashley helped put the game away.

Hitting just 57 percent of their free throws, and only 25 percent of their three-pointers for the game, the Wildcats and their coach were hitting a wall again midway through the second half.

Sure there were the usual pin-point passes from T.J. McConnell and the electric dunks from Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, but Friday’s game was far from a 40-minute party for the Wildcats.

“It’s just a confidence level,” UA center Kaleb Tarczewski said. “Being the first game out there that really meant something and also having a full house was in the back of everyone’s mind.”

Defense helped get things loose during the Wildcats run late in the first half, with steals leading to dunks on Arizona’s final three scores before the break, and Hollis-Jefferson appearing as strong as ever despite not starting because Miller said he sat out practice Thursday with a tweaked shoulder.

In the second half, Ashley came up with his own steal-and-dunk play. That gave Arizona its first 20-point lead at 6:55, and the Wildcats coasted from there while Miller continued to experiment with a rotation that went 10 players deep.

Having gone 6 for 6 from the field in the first half, Ashley wound up adding 3-of-4 shooting in the second 20 minutes. He hit just 3 of 6 free throws but wasn’t alone in that department: Arizona made just 12 of 25 overall.

Once again, though, Ashley wouldn’t take all the credit himself. Guys like McConnell — who had seven assists to just one turnover — helped get him the ball in position to do some things. Four offensive rebounds helped, too.

“My teammates found me in some good positions,” Ashley said. They “definitely looked out for me a whole lot.”

But it wasn’t a one-way street. By taking the shots he did — and making the Mountaineers defense respect him — Ashley helped Tarczewski gather 10 points.

More of that could come this season. So Tarczewski’s thankful, too.

“Having him draw that defender out, making sure he can’t crowd me … we didn’t have a four who could stretch the floor like that” after Ashley’s injury last season, Tarczewski said. “So having him out there makes it lot easier for me to score in the post.

“It’s been awesome having him back.”