University of Arizona Athletics

TUCSON, Ariz. – After opening the 2017-18 season with a 101-67 victory over the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, the Arizona Wildcats will play their second game in three days with a home date with the UMBC Retrievers on Sunday afternoon. It will be the first-ever game between the two programs.

No. 3/5 Arizona vs. UMBC
Sunday, Nov. 12 at 4:00 p.m. (MST)
TV: Pac-12 Network (Daron Sutton & Matt Muehlebach)
Radio: Arizona IMG Radio Network (Brian Jeffries & Ryan Hansen)
Twitter: @APlayersProgram
#BearDown
 
UA returns to the court after securing a 101-67 win over Northern Arizona in the 2017-18 season opener. Allonzo Trier scored a career-best 32 points on efficient 10-of-13 shooting (.769) from the field to go with five rebounds, four assists and one steal. Trier's 32 points were the most scored by a Wildcat in a season opener in 40 seasons. The Wildcats' pair of 7-footers, Deandre Ayton and Dusan Ristic, combined for 39 points, 22 rebounds and five blocks.

Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between Arizona and UMBC. Arizona is 64-2 when playing an opponent for the first time in program history over the last 25 years. The Wildcats are 22-1 when facing a first-time opponent under head coach Sean Miller.

Freshman Deandre Ayton tallied 19 points and 12 rebounds in his NCAA debut in Friday's win. He became the fourth Wildcat to record a double-double in his freshman debut, joining Bob Elliott, Frank Smith and Aaron Gordon.

The Wildcats are 43-7 in the month of November during the Sean Miller era of 2009 to present. That 86.0 winning percentage is the highest of any month of season since Miller's arrival in Tucson. Going back to the start of the 2013-14 season, UA has won 26 of its last 28 games in the first month of the season.

The visiting Retrievers of UMBC mark just the second opponent from the America East Conference faced by Arizona in program history, which is the fewest games played against another conference. UA's only other game versus a America East member was in the 2003 NCAA Tournament when the Wildcats beat Vermont by a score of 80-51.

The second game of the season comes just two days after the season opener against Northern Arizona. UA is 17-2 (.895) in the second non-conference game in three days since 2000.
Allonzo Trier's 32 points in his team's season debut were the most by a Wildcat in a season opener in 40 seasons since Herman Harris scored 34 points versus Arizona State on Nov. 26, 1976. Trier's scoring on Friday night was the third most in a season opener in program history.

• Eric Money                        37 points             vs. Cal State Bakersfield (Nov. 29, 1972)
• Herman Harris                  34 points             vs. Arizona State (OT) (Nov. 26, 1976)
• Allonzo Trier                      32 points             vs. Northern Arizona (Nov. 10, 2017)
• Michael Dickerson           31 points             vs. North Carolina (Nov. 22, 1996)
• Jason Terry                        26 points             vs. Tennessee (Nov. 13, 1998)
• Sean Elliott                        26 points             vs. Duquense (Nov. 27, 1987)
• Chase Budinger                 25 points             vs. Northern Arizona (Nov. 13, 2007)
• Frank Smith                       25 points             at Houston (Nov. 30, 1979)

 
Deandre Ayton made quite an impact in his first career game as a Wildcat. He became the fourth Wildcat ever to record a double-double in his freshman debut while blocking the second most shots.

• Frank Smith                       25 points and 13 rebounds           at Houston (Nov. 30, 1979)
• Bob Elliott                          22 points and 19 rebounds          vs. Illinois (Nov. 30, 1973)
• Deandre Ayton                 19 points and 12 rebounds           vs. Northern Arizona (Nov. 10, 2017)
• Aaron Gordon                   13 points and 10 rebounds           vs. Cal Poly (Nov. 8, 2013)

Parker Jackson-Cartwright opened his senior season with a flawless distribution night from his point guard position with eight assists and zero turnovers. It marked the most assists in a zero-turnover game of PJC's career.

• 8 assists with 0 turnovers vs. Northern Arizona (Nov. 10, 2017)
• 7 assists with 0 turnovers vs. Colorado (March 9, 2017)
• 7 assists with 0 turnovers vs. Arizona State (Feb. 17, 2016)
• 6 assists with 0 turnovers vs. UCLA (Feb. 25, 2017)
• 6 assists with 0 turnovers vs. Northwestern State (Nov. 22, 2015)
• 5 assists with 0 turnovers vs. Washington State (Jan. 26, 2017)
• 5 assists with 0 turnovers vs. Arizona State (Jan. 12, 2017)

 Dusan Ristic, like fellow senior Parker Jackson-Cartwright, began his last season of college basketball with a memorable game. Ristic scored 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win over NAU. The 20 points matched his career high, and the 10 rebounds gave him his third career double-double. His game on Friday was also the first 20-point, 10-rebound performance of his career.