SALT LAKE CITY (AP) Arizona scored 16 straight points over a five-minute stretch Thursday to pull away for an 85-65 victory in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and snuff out Dan Monson's coaching tenure at Long Beach State.

Kylan Boswell scored a career-high 20 points for the second-seeded Wildcats (26-8), who made 13 3-pointers, the program record for March Madness.

This marked the end of a 17-year stretch at Long Beach State for the 62-year-old Monson. He learned last week that he wouldn't return next season. His team responded by unexpectedly winning the Big West Tournament to send the program to March Madness for the first time since 2012.

Arizona trailed by one with 2:34 left in the first half. A few free throws and a 3-pointer by Caleb Love started the Wildcats' onslaught before halftime. Keshad Johnson (13 points) kicked off the second half with a layup, a 3 and a dunk off an alley-oop from Love, who finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Oumar Ballo added 11 points and 13 rebounds, the 33rd double-double of his career and his 19th of the season. 

By the time the surge was over at the 17:08 mark of the second half, Arizona led 50-35. Counting the halftime break, the 15th-seeded Beach went about 40 minutes without a basket.

The Wildcats will play either Nevada or Dayton in the second round of the West Region.

Aboubacar Traore and A.J. George led the Beach (21-15) with 14 points each.

Arizona improves to 10-2 in games played during the NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City. 
 

POSTGAME MEDIA

POSTGAME NOTES

• The Wildcats' starting five all scored in double figures in Thursday's victory, which marked Arizona's NCAA-leading 19^th game of the season with five players with double-digit points.
• Arizona made 13 three-point field goals in Thursday's NCAA Tournament opener, which set a program record for most made three pointers by surpassing the previous mark of 11 (accomplished three times; most recently in 2022 vs. Wright State)
• With 13 rebounds in the Arizona's first round win over Long Beach State, Oumar Ballo surpassed Sean Elliott for 10^th place in career rebounds in program history.
  • Ballo's double-digit rebounding performance against LBSU vaulted him up to fourth place in the Arizona record book for single-season rebounding record at 347.
• Ballo also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds to open the NCAA Tournament, which was his 33^rd of his career (fourth place all-time at Arizona) and 19^th of the season (also fourth place).
  • Thursday's double-double was the center's 13^th in his last 14 games.
  • It was also his second double-double in the NCAA Tournament after posting 13 points, 12 rebounds last year vs. Princeton
• With 11 rebounds against the Beach, Caleb Love set a career high while also recording his second career double-double.
• The trio of Boswell, Larsson and Love each recorded five or more assists in the NCAA postseason win on Thursday, marking the first time Arizona has had three or more players with five assists or more since the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament versus Gonzaga (Gordon, Hollis-Jefferson, Johnson, McConnell).
• Ballo's and Love's pair of double-doubles on Thursday gave Arizona its first NCAA Tournament game with two double-doubles since the Sweet 16 of 2005 NCAA Tournament.
• Arizona's 10 steals in its tournament-opening victory over LBSU pushed its season total to 283. That mark ties the 2000-01 Wildcats for sixth most steals in a season in program history.
• The 20-point margin of victory is the biggest for Arizona in the NCAA Tournament since 2015
• The Wildcats' defense held LBSU to 3 of 17 shooting from the 3-point line, including 0 of 9 in the second half.