Brayden Burries sizzled from the start, netting 13 of his game-high 22 points in an outstanding first half for Arizona, to help the No. 1 Wildcats go wire-to-wire Saturday in an 88-53 clobbering of West Virginia in Tucson, Az.
The freshman guard converted 7 of 12 field goals, including 4 of 8 from distance, and added seven assists and four rebounds.
One of three schools with perfect records, the Wildcats (20-0, 7-0 Big 12) were able to dominate the visitors early, matching the records of their fellow undefeateds, No. 7 Nebraska and No. 25 Miami (OH).
Koa Peat posted 17 points and seven rebounds, and Motiejus Krivas notched 11 points and 12 rebounds in his fifth double-double. Anthony Dell’Orso had 12 points. Tobe Awaka recorded 14 boards.
After winning four of their previous five games, the Mountaineers (13-7, 4-3) trailed by 20 at the half and could never regain their footing.
Chance Moore led the way with 12 points, while Honor Huff and Treysen Eaglestaff had 10 apiece. Amir Jenkins had eight rebounds.
A 17 1/2-point favorite, Arizona played like it from the start as Burries connected on two three-pointers and dished an assist to Krivas as the Big 12’s top squad led 10-2 at 17:34.
Burries continued his strong play and gave the Wildcats their first double-digit lead, 17-6, at 12:56 by popping two free throws. Dell’Orso, slumping in an 0 for 14 stretch from the floor the past three games, then drilled a deep shot to make it 20-8.
Moore scored five consecutive points for the Mountaineers inside of a minute, and the Mountaineers trimmed it to 25-16 at 7:26. However, Peat, Arizona’s top scorer, hit a jumper for his first points and an 11-point advantage.
Over the final 4:34 of the first half, the Wildcats outscored the visitors by a 14-7 margin, punctuated by Dwayne Aristode’s steal and layup at the buzzer for a 43-23 lead, their largest in a half in which they committed just one turnover.
The second half was much like the first, as Burries added five more points early. Jaden Bradley increased it to a 26-point lead on his layup at 16:40.
West Virginia never brought the deficit below 21, and the top-ranked club cruised to the resounding win.
