Shanna Rose | WV Sports Chat
TUCSON, Ariz.— Freshman guard Brayden Burries scored 22 points and Koa Peat added 17 as top-ranked Arizona remained undefeated with an 88-53 rout of West Virginia on Saturday afternoon at the sold-out McKale Center.
The Wildcats (20-0, 7-0 Big 12), who were unanimous No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time in program history to start the week, led throughout while building a 20-point halftime advantage. Arizona has now won two straight games by 20-plus points and owns its best start since opening 21-0 during the 2013-14 season.
The Wildcats seized control early, pushing a seven-point lead in the first 3½ minutes despite a brief shooting lull. Arizona’s defense set the tone, holding the Mountaineers (13-7, 4-3) to 29 percent shooting in the first half, including just 3 of 15 from 3-point range. Burries scored 13 points before the break, and a turnover in the final seconds led to a Dwayne Aristode layup at the buzzer for a 43-23 halftime lead.
Burries opened the second half with a 3-pointer as the Wildcats went on a 10-4 run to stretch the margin to 26. Arizona finished shooting 52.5 percent from the floor and made 10 of 23 shots from beyond the arc, with six different players hitting at least one. Anthony Dell’Orso scored 12 points and Motiejus Krivas added 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
“To come into an environment like this, against a team like this, you’re going to have to get some really special performances from key people, and those same key people have given us special performances throughout this year, but they just didn’t have it (today),” WVU head coach Ross Hodge said. “That’s what it takes to come into these type of deals and win.”
Chance Moore came off the bench to lead the Mountaineers with 12 points, while Treysen Eaglestaff and Honor Huff added 10 apiece. WVU misfired on 42 of its 64 field-goal attempts and went 6 of 22 from 3-point range. Huff finished 4 of 15 overall and 2 of 9 from deep, while freshman Amir Jenkins grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.
“Arizona had a lot to do with (the missed shots) on some of them,” Hodge said. “Their collective size and physicality around the basket negates pretty much your interior attack. It’s hard to get the ball close to the basket and when you do, you’ve got to be able to finish through contact.”
The Mountaineers return home to host Kansas State on Tuesday night before welcoming Baylor on Saturday.
Photo Credit: WVU Athletics
