Arizona Crushes Cal Poly 104-84 in Home Opener

No. 5 Arizona defeated Cal Poly 104-84 on Thursday night in Tucson, snapping a season-opening loss with a high-scoring performance at home. The Wildcats improved to 1-1 on the season while the Mustangs fell to 1-1.

Motiejus Krivas led the Arizona offense with 30 points on 10-of-13 shooting. He also secured eight rebounds, a stark contrast to his eight-point outing in the team's previous game. Freshman Caleb Holt provided additional firepower with 21 points, helping the team establish control early in the contest.

The Wildcats dominated the interior, finishing with a 56-26 advantage in the paint. Arizona shot 55% from the floor and scored 59 points before halftime, building a 59-41 lead over Cal Poly. The team converted 14 Cal Poly turnovers into 19 points, capitalizing on defensive mistakes throughout the first half.

Ivan Kharchenkov contributed 16 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. His performance was more balanced than his 38-point effort against UCLA in the season opener. Bryce James, son of LeBron James, also played in the game. He made his first college basket with a three-pointer 3.5 minutes into the contest and finished with five points on 2-of-5 shooting.

Cal Poly fielded one of the most experienced rosters in the country, returning 13 players. Hamad Mousa led the Mustangs with 30 points, including 8-of-10 shooting from three-point range. However, the team struggled to match the physicality of Arizona, which pushed them around the court after being outmatched by UCLA in Las Vegas.

Arizona now prepares to host Northern Arizona on Tuesday night. Cal Poly will travel to play Grand Canyon on Wednesday night.