By Nicolino DiBenedetto
STATS Writer
Arizona hopes a long layoff hasn't stunted its early season momentum, but returning from the break to face Northern Arizona should keep that from happening.
The No. 9 Wildcats look to pick up where they left off by beating the Lumberjacks for a 29th consecutive time Wednesday night.
Arizona (3-0) has seen its margin of victory grow with each win, the most recent coming by a 94-72 score over Long Beach State on Nov. 19.
"I think every team in November is on a quest to get better and continually improve," coach Sean Miller said. "We have a great opportunity now to learn through our game experience and now build."
There hasn't been much game experience lately as the Wildcats have been off for eight days. They appear to have an ideal chance to get back into a routine against Northern Arizona (2-3).
Arizona defeated the Lumberjacks 53-39 last December and hasn't lost to NAU since Dec. 15, 1966. This will be the 12th consecutive meeting between the two schools in Tucson.
Freshman Brandon Ashley could get a second consecutive start for Arizona after going 6 for 6 from the field and 8 of 9 from the free-throw line against Long Beach State, finishing with season highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds. Ashley totaled 21 points and 13 boards in the first two games.
Senior forward Solomon Hill is averaging 13.0 points and 5.7 rebounds for the Wildcats. He had 15 points and seven rebounds in last season's meeting with Northern Arizona.
One trouble spots for the Wildcats has been their effectiveness defending the perimeter. They are allowing opponents to make 39.2 percent of their 3s after Long Beach State hit 14 of 32.
"We're giving up way too many (3-pointers)," Miller said. "We need to fix that."
The Lumberjacks will likely look to capitalize by getting the ball to guards Gabe Rogers and Dewayne Russell, who have combined to make 25 of the team's 34 3-pointers.
Rogers paces Northern Arizona with 16.6 points per game and has averaged 20.7 over the past three. Russell is averaging 15.8 points.
Each had 13 points to lead Northern Arizona to a 70-62 victory over Campbell in a consolation game of the Global Sports Classic on Saturday.
The Lumberjacks have lost 13 in a row to ranked opponents, including a 92-54 loss at then-No. 18 UNLV on Nov. 12.
