No. 2 Arizona scores 56 in first half en route to rout of Denver

Freshman guards Brayden Burries and Ivan Kharchenkov each had 20 points to lead No. 2 Arizona to a 103-73 victory Monday night over Denver at Tucson, Ariz.

Fellow freshmen Dwayne Aristode (17 points) and Koa Peat (12 before fouling out) also scored in double figures for Arizona (6-0). Tobe Awaka came off the bench to contribute 12 points and 15 rebounds.

Burries had seven rebounds and Kharchenkov and Aristode each had five as the Wildcats outrebounded Denver 50-29.

The Wildcats dominated Denver (2-4) in the paint, outscoring the Pioneers 50-22.

Arizona produced 26 assists for its 41 made field goals, led by Anthony Dell'Orso's seven assists.

Denver was led by Carson Johnson's 18 points. Zane Nelson added 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field.

Arizona scored the first 13 points of the game and led 14-5 when Denver made its first field goal with 13:53 left in the first half.

The Wildcats then went on a 19-2 run that increased the lead to 33-7 with 7:50 left in the half. Arizona led 56-28 at halftime after producing the most points in a first half this season. The Wildcats shot 52.4 percent from the field at that point.

Burries and Kharchenkov outscored Denver in the half, combining for 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field. Denver was 8 of 28 (28.6 percent) from the field. The Pioneers committed 11 turnovers in the first half that led to 14 points for Arizona.

Burries had 13 points and a season-high six rebounds by halftime.

Arizona made a string of 12 consecutive field goals from 3:34 left in the first half until 15:43 remaining to keep a significant lead.

The Wildcats shot 56.9 percent (41 of 72) from the field, 42.9 percent (12 of 28) from 3-point range. Aristode was 4 of 8 from beyond the arc and Burries was 3 of 6.

--Field Level Media