Trier scores 28, No. 3 Arizona rolls past CSU Bakersfield

TUCSON, Ariz. — Allonzo Trier made eight of nine shots, including all three 3-point attempts, for 28 points and No. 3 Arizona coasted to its third straight victory, 91-59 over Cal State-Bakersfield on Thursday night.

Freshman Deandre Ayton added 18 points, 16 in the second half, and grabbed 10 rebounds — his third double-double to start his college career — for Arizona (3-0). Dusan Ristic scored 12 points and Parker Jackson-Cartwright 11 for the Wildcats, who led by as many as 18 in the first half and 38 in the second.

Jarkel Joiner scored 14 points, Moataz Aly 12 and Shon Briggs 11 for the Roadrunners (1-2).

Jackson-Cartwright capped a dominating first half for the Wildcats by throwing it in from a couple of steps behind the midcourt line at the halftime buzzer and the Wildcats led 44-27.

The Roadrunners scored the first five points of the second half to cut the lead to 44-32 on Joiner’s layup but never got any closer. Freshman Emmanuel Akot’s 3-pointer punctuated a 10-2 run and the Wildcats led 65-41 with 12 minutes to play.

The rout intensified with an 18-2 Arizona run. Trier’s 3-pointer capped the outburst and put the Wildcats up 87-51 with 5:04 to go.

Trier almost certainly would have had his third consecutive 30-point game to start the season had he not been pulled with 4:37 left and his team up by 26.

Through three games, Trier is shooting 70 percent from the field and averaging 30 points per game.

Arizona had a 13-0 early run, seven by Trier, to go up 15-6 and controlled things from there. Trier was fouled on a 3-point try and made all three from the line to cap a 10-2 spurt that had the Wildcats up 39-21, their largest lead of the first half, with 2:42 left.

BIG PICTURE

Cal State-Bakersfield: Roadrunners lost a couple of key pieces to the team that went 25-10 last season, was co-champion of the WAC and made it to the NIT semifinals. They couldn’t stay with the Wildcats but should still have enough athleticism and be a factor again in the WAC.

Arizona: The Wildcats cruised through three early season home games against lesser foes but the test comes soon when they travel to the Battle 4 Atlantis, meeting North Carolina State in the first round next Wednesday. If all works as planned, Arizona would face No. 5 Villanova in the championship of the eight-team tournament.

UP NEXT

Cal State-Bakersfield: plays at Lamar on Sunday night.

Arizona: meets North Carolina State in the Battle 4 Atlantis in Nassau next Wednesday night.