Cat Tracks: Wildcats advance easily with win over Belmont

Mar 22, 2013, 5:01 AM | Updated: 5:02 am

Sure, you could read the box score and know who won, but we all know that won’t tell you everything that happened in a basketball game. So, we give you ‘Cat Tracks’, providing you with the analysis, quotes and notes from Arizona’s 81-64 win over Belmont on March 21.

The Good:

Sixth-seeded Arizona had no trouble handling 11th-seeded Belmont, despite many national pundits predicting an upset. The Wildcats led by as many 21 points, and used their size to stifle any hopes Belmont had to advance.

The Wildcats were led by Mark Lyons, who scored 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting in the win. The ‘Cats also had three players, Kevin Parrom, Kaleb Tarczewski and Nick Johnson, add 12 points. Tarczewski and Parrom each also had eight rebounds.

Arizona shot an impressive 57 percent overall and made nine of 17 three-pointers. The ‘Cats defense also held the Bruins to just 39.2 percent shooting. Belmont had averaged a 49.4 shooting percentage for the season.

The Bad:

Senior forward Solomon Hill was in foul trouble early for the Wildcats. He had three fouls before halftime. He had just nine points in 29 minutes of play.

Belmont made a small run late with over five minutes left, cutting their deficit to 11 points. They would get no closer in this lop-sided contest.

In the first half, the Wildcats did commit 10 turnovers that resulted in 10 points for the Bruins.

Noted:

• Belmont fell to 0-6 in tournament games.

• Arizona outrebounded Belmont by a 44-18 margin.

• The Bruins were just 2 of 13 from downtown in the first half and 8 of 27 overall in the game.

Coming Up Next:

The Wildcats will play Harvard on Saturday. Tip-off is TBA.

Arizona Basketball

Lauren Fields #23 of the Arizona Wildcats shoots as Abby Meyers #10 of the Maryland Terrapins defen...
Associated Press

Arizona WBB eliminated from NCAA Tournament with loss to No. 2 seed Maryland

Diamond Miller scored 24 points to help Maryland to a 77-64 victory over Arizona in the second around of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.
2 days ago
Arizona Wildcats guard Lauren Fields (23) shoots over West Virginia Mountaineers forward Isis Beh (...
Arizona Sports

March Madness: Arizona WBB underdogs in 2nd-round matchup with Maryland

Arizona women's basketball is the final of four teams from the state alive in March Madness after defeating West Virginia 75-62 on Friday. 
3 days ago
Arizona players sit on the bench in the final seconds of a first-round college basketball game agai...
Associated Press

Arizona, Virginia confront past misery after fresh March upsets

Arizona and Virginia lay claim to proud college basketball traditions but also developing reputations for NCAA Tournament disappointments.
3 days ago
Fairleigh Dickinson guard Grant Singleton (4) celebrates after a basket against Purdue in the secon...
Associated Press

Fairleigh Dickinson shocks No. 1 seed Purdue in NCAA Tournament

Fairleigh Dickinson became the second No. 16 seed in history to win an NCAA Tournament game, stunning top-seeded Purdue 63-58.
3 days ago
Head coach Adia Barnes of the Arizona Wildcats instructs her team during the game against the USC T...
Associated Press

Arizona women beat WVU to open their NCAA Tournament

Cate Reese scored 25 points and seventh-seeded Arizona beat 10th-seeded West Virginia in the women's NCAA Tournament.
4 days ago
Ryan Langborg #3 of the Princeton Tigers blocks a shot by Courtney Ramey #0 of the Arizona Wildcats...
Arizona Sports

Arizona basketball’s Tommy Lloyd disappointed by late-game execution in loss to Princeton

No. 2 seed Arizona had plenty of opportunities to close out their No. 15 seed counterparts but did not execute vs. Princeton.
4 days ago
Cat Tracks: Wildcats advance easily with win over Belmont