Connecticut Huskies vs Arizona Wildcats Box Score on Dec 21, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Dec 21, 2017

Sophomore Rawle Alkins scored a game-high 20 points to lead 18th-ranked Arizona to a 73-58 victory over Connecticut on Thursday night at McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz.

Junior Allonzo Trier was back in the lineup after getting a scare on Monday, when he sustained a bruised knee after colliding with a North Dakota State player. He missed the final 10 minutes of that game. Trier finished with 15 points Thursday.

Terry Larrier led UConn with 18 points. Jalen Adams added 13 points, and Christian Vital had 11 points and seven assists.

It was the 47th consecutive nonconference home victory for Arizona (10-3).

Arizona went on a 23-10 run in the final nine minutes to seal the win.

Connecticut (7-4) gave Arizona a scare, starting the half with a 7-0 run to tie it at 30 with 17:35 left.

Arizona scored three quick baskets, but UConn tied it again at 36 with 16:03 left on two free throws by Mamadou Diarra.

Alkins, in his fourth game back from a foot injury, hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Arizona a 42-38 lead midway through the second half.

Every time Arizona would try to pull away, UConn would find a way to stay close. Arizona went up 50-45 with 9:56 left on two Dusan Ristic free throws, but the Huskies kept close with 3-pointers by Adams and Vital to close to 52-51 with 7:38 left.

Ristic helped Arizona take a 60-55 lead, grabbing an offensive rebound and throwing it to Parker Jackson-Cartwright for a 3-pointer.

Trier hit a deep 3-pointer to make it 63-55 with 3:50 left, and Alkins had a huge dunk to give Arizona its first double-digit lead of the game.

Arizona opened with a 10-2 to start the game before the Huskies went on a 9-1 run to tie it at 11. Arizona failed to score a basket in 4:21 minutes, allowing UConn to tie it.

Both teams started out slowly on offense, with Arizona shooting 31 percent in the first 11 minutes and UConn just 33 percent.

Back-to-back baskets by senior Dusan Ristic helped the Wildcats take a 17-11 lead with 7:30 left.

Arizona's Deandre Ayton sat out most of the first half after picking up his second foul with 11:22 left.

Fellow 7-footer Ristic picked up the slack in Ayton's absence, scoring a team-high 10 points and pulling down six rebounds in the half.

NOTES: Wildcats freshman F Deandre Ayton went into the game as one of only four college players averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds and shooter better than 60 percent from the floor. He failed to reach double figures in scoring for the first time this season, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds. ... Under coach Sean Miller, Arizona is 98-20 in nonconference games ... UConn played its first game back after an 11-game layoff. The Huskies face Auburn on Saturday. ... UConn's only other appearance in Tucson was in 2002 when Jim Calhoun coached the Huskies and Lute Olson coached the Wildcats, a battle of Hall of Famers. ... UConn is 23-8 all-time against Pac-12 teams.