TUCSON, Arizona (AP) Azoulas Tubelis scored 22 points, Christian Koloko added 20 before leaving Arizona with an ankle injury and No. 17, which hit Sacramento State 105-59 Saturday night.
The Wildcats (6-0) had a huge advantage of size and took advantage of it to overpower the Hornets by 29 points in color. Arizona had 31 assists on 38 field goals, including nine of Kerr Kriisa, and shot 55% to avoid disappointment after beating Michigan earlier this week.
Koloko also had seven rebounds, two steals and one blocked shot but left early in the second half with a sprained ankle.
Sacramento State (3-3) fell into a big hole early and never bounced back, losing their second one-sided game that season to a Pac-12 opponent. Cameron Wilbon had 14 points to lead the Hornets who shot 36%.
Arizona opened the season with three blowouts in a row and survived a tough game against Wichita State in Las Vegas. The Wildcats took a marquee win in Sin City last Sunday, then dominated No. 4 Michigan 80-62, putting Arizona in the top 25 for the first time this season.
Sac State had an ups and downs into the season, beginning with the abrupt resignation of coach Brian Katz for health reasons shortly before the start. The Hornets lost 25 to Utah and 15 to UC San Diego, but won in their last game against rivals UC Davis.
Sac State had never beaten a ranked opponent in 15 tries since joining Division I in 1991, so it was going to be a tough climb on Saturday.
Koloko had two early alley-oop dunks when Arizona opened the game with a 16-5 run and the Wildcats continued from there. In the first half, Tubelis had 17 points, Koloko 10 and the Wildcats shot 19 of 38 to lead 47-22 at half.
Koloko opened the second half by blocking a shot in an alley-oop-dunk attempt and stealing his own after a steal. Arizona scored the first 10 points to rise 57-22. Koloko hobbled away shortly afterwards, but the Wildcats went with a 15-2 run to 88:42.
BIG PICTURE
Sac State: The experience of playing Arizona on the street should help the Hornets once the Big Sky game rolls around.
Arizona: Has not suffered disappointment following its big win over Michigan and dominated the Hornets on both ends.
NEXT
Sac State: hosted Montana on Thursday.
Arizona: Start Pac-12 game at home against Washington on Thursday.
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Quotes after the game
Brandon Laird., Sacramento state head coach
You will take positive things from this game …
“Good opportunity to compete and measure yourself against one of the best teams in the country. I think the positive is what we learn from it and how we can grow.”
What Arizona did to make it difficult for them …
“They did a great job defensively, putting us under pressure and challenging us. On the offensive, their speed, their pace and their size were too much for us. They attacked really hard.”
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