Northern Arizona Lumberjacks vs Arizona Wildcats Match Player Stats On Nov 09, 2021

Kerr Kriisa had 17 points and five assists as Arizona deftly shared the ball and posted an 81-52 victory over Northern Arizona in the head coaching debut of Tommy Lloyd on Tuesday night in Tucson, Ariz.

The Wildcats showed more defensive pressure and a faster offensive style than they played under former coach Sean Miller. They forced 21 turnovers and assisted on 25 of 28 baskets.

Kriisa, a sophomore taking over starting point guard duties this season, hit 4 of 10 3-point shots. He did not commit a turnover in 29 minutes, and Arizona turned over the ball a mere six times.

Azuolas Tubelis had 13 points and five rebounds for Arizona. Dalen Terry, a sophomore, added 11 points and a career-high seven assists. Christian Koloko, a 7-foot-1 junior, had eight points and a career-high five blocks.

Carson Towt led Northern Arizona in its season opener with 11 points and nine rebounds. He was the team's only player with double-figure points.

Lloyd spent the previous 20 years as a Gonzaga assistant. One of his former players -- backup center Oumar Ballo -- is now at Arizona, and he posted eight points and nine rebounds in 10 minutes on Tuesday.

Arizona led 42-22 at halftime and maintained a comfortable lead throughout the second half. The Lumberjacks inched as close as 46-31 before the Wildcats steadily pulled away. They led by as many as 35 points with about four minutes to go.

Northern Arizona battled early as Arizona held a modest 18-15 lead with 9:18 to go in the first half but accelerated quickly after that.

Kim Aiken Jr.'s 3-pointer sparked a 13-0 run, capped by a Tubelis' fastbreak layup at the 5:59 mark. The Wildcats closed the half on a 9-0 spurt as they took their biggest lead of the half at 42-22 when Koloko drove from the top of the key for a left-handed layup to beat the buzzer.

The Wildcats improved to 101-27 all-time against Northern Arizona.

--Field Level Media