NASSAU, Bahamas -- The Arizona men’s basketball team had eight players in double figures Saturday in a dominant 136-66 exhibition win over the Real Deal Shockers club team.
The Wildcats, playing their first of two games on a tour of the Bahamas, connected on 14 of 22 shots in the first quarter and jumped out to a 38-17 lead in the opening period.
After missing their first three shots, the Cats got a Brandon Ashley field goal at the 9:42 mark that started a run in which UA made 11 consecutive shots to take a 26-9 advantage. Kevin Parrom and Nick Johnson took charge early on, combining for 17 first-quarter points on 6-of-10 shooting.
The contest wasn’t close from that point, as the Wildcats dominated in every statistical category. In addition to UA’s 136 points and 64 percent shooting (54 of 85), the Cats outrebounded Real Deal, 54-26, collected 32 assists and limited the opposition to just 30 percent shooting (23 of 76). UA also made 16 of 30 attempts from 3-point range.
Parrom led all scorers with 21 points. Xavier transfer Mark Lyons added 18 points for UA, and Solomon Hill chipped in with 17. Johnson contributed 13 points, eight rebounds and a game-high six steals. Ashley added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Arizona built a 68-28 lead at the half, closing the first half with a 15-2 run over the last 4:24 to all but end things. First-year players Lyons, Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski combined for 13 points in the run.
In addition to its shooting, Arizona moved the ball well, collecting its 32 assists on 54 made field goals. Of the 11 Wildcats to see action Saturday, 10 collected at least one assist.
Arizona next will be back in action on Monday, when the team takes on the Bahamas All-Stars.
