Arizona Men’s Basketball axes NAU 84-49 in first matchup since 2021

The No. 5 Arizona Wildcats (3-0) handled business on Tuesday, taking down in-state foe NAU in a 84-49 win at the McKale Center. Five players scored in double figures, including a team-high 18 points from Dwayne Aristode in his coming out party.

Aristode tied a school freshman record with six 3-pointers, including five in the second half, helping the Wildcats secure their 37th straight victory in the series over the Lumberjacks. Aristode was 6-of-10 from the field, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, matching the freshman mark set by Bennedict Mathurin, Jerryd Bayless, Salim Stoudamire, and Mike Bibby.

Jaden Bradley finished with 13 points, all of which came in the first half, and three assists in 20 minutes. Motiejus Krivas added another 12 points, seven rebounds, including five offensive boards, and four blocks, while Tobe Awaka and reigning Big 12 Co-Player and NCAA National Player of the Week Koa Peat each scored 10 points. The Wildcats shot 28-of-60 (46.7%) from the field, including 11-of-26 (42.3%) from three.

Brayden Burries opened the game with a 4-point play, before NAU took a short-lived 1-point lead at the 17:26 mark of the first. Lumberjacks head coach Shane Burcar was issued a technical foul before the first media timeout as the Wildcats quickly gained control of the game.

Arizona led NAU 46-17 at the half, the fewest points allowed in a half since holding USC to 16 in the 2024 Pac-12 Tournament. The Wildcats capitalized on two 15-plus point runs, including a 22-2 run over 5:24 near the end of the first half. The UA also moved the ball particularly well, assisting on 13-of-14 made field goals in the first half, and 22-of-28 made field goals in the game.

Mo Krivas dominated early in the second half, scoring six points with two blocks and three rebounds in a little two minutes.

The Wildcats are back on the road to continue their non-conference gauntlet, beginning Friday against No. 15 UCLA at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Arizona then heads to No. 3 UConn on Wednesday, November 19, before returning home to host Denver on November 24.