Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis, right, dives over Texas A&M-CC guard Ross Williams in pursuit of a loose ball during a first-half scramble Tuesday night.

 Kelly Presnell, Arizona Daily Star

Azuolas Tubelis only needed a little more than two minutes to climb the Arizona history books, in No. 9 Arizona’s 99-61 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christ on Tuesday at McKale Center.

Tubelis’ first field goal of the night officially put him at 1,000 career points at the UA, as he became the 53rd player in program history to accomplish that feat. Tubelis received a loud ovation from the fans when his accomplishment was announced.

Tubelis had 20 points and 13 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. It was also the fourth consecutive game Tubelis scored 20 or more points. The 13 boards is the most Tubelis recorded in a game since he grabbed 15 boards during his freshman season against Washington.

Arizona center Oumar Ballo (11) works his way into the last through Texas A&M-CC forward De'Lazarus Keys (13) in the first half of their NCAA basketball game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022.

Going hard in the paint

There’s a song by rapper “Waka Flocka” called “Hard in da Paint” and the opening lyrics are, “I go hard in the (expletive) paint.” Well, the rap song that’s over a decade old has become Arizona’s bread-and-butter this season.

The Wildcats outscored the Islanders 34-18 in points in the paint. Arizona now has a 438-278 advantage in points in the paint this season through 10 games.

The majority of those points have come from Tubelis and starting center Oumar Ballo, both of whom are leading the Wildcats in points and rebounds.

Lakers forward Stanley Johnson shoots during a March 16 game against Minnesota.

‘Stanimal’ back in the NBA, becomes latest ex-Wildcat to play for Spurs

Former Arizona forward Stanley Johnson is back in the NBA, after the 26-year-old signed a one-year deal with the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.

The 6-foot-6-inch, 240-pound Johnson will wear No. 34 for San Antonio, which is 14th in the Western Conference standings with a 9-18 record.

Johnson is the latest former Wildcat to play for the Spurs. Sean Elliott’s No. 32 jersey is retired in San Antonio. The Tucson native was a two-time All-Star for the Spurs in 1993 and ’96. Steve Kerr won two championships in 1999 and 2003 as a player. Other Wildcats to play for Spurs include Reggie Geary, Richard Jefferson, Damon Stoudamire, Matt Othick, Jud Buechler and Marcus Williams.

Since Johnson, the former Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, was a first-round pick by the Detroit Pistons in 2015, he’s played for the New Orleans Pelicans, Toronto Raptors and the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson also signed with the Chicago Bulls but was waived prior to the 2021-22 season.

Johnson then went on to sign with the G League’s South Bay Lakers, 15.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.17 steals per game, before moving up to play for the L.A. Lakers. Johnson signed a series of 10-day contracts before the Lakers signed him to a two-year deal in January.

In August, Johnson and Talen Horton-Tucker were traded traded to the Utah Jazz in exchange for guard Patrick Beverley. Johnson was waived by Utah in October and recently signed a G League deal with the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Johnson is now the 11th ex-Wildcat currently playing in the NBA, along with Deandre Ayton (Suns), Lauri Markkanen (Jazz), Aaron Gordon (Nuggets), Bennedict Mathurin (Pacers), Dalen Terry (Bulls), T.J. McConnell (Pacers), Zeke Nnaji (Nuggets), Christian Koloko (Raptors), Josh Green (Mavericks) and Andre Iguodala (Warriors), who is the last Lute Olson-coached UA player in the association.

Arizona guard Cedric Henderson Jr. (45), left, talks with forward Filip Borovicanin (1), guard Pelle Larsson (3) and center Oumar Ballo (11) as they three wait to enter the game against Texas A&M-CC in the second half of their NCAA basketball game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., December 10, 2022.

Numbers game

0 — Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa, who left in the first half with a Non-COVID-19-related illness, finished Tuesday without scoring, which is the first game he’s played in and didn’t score since his Arizona debut at Utah in the pandemic-influenced 2020-21 season.

26 — UA had 26 assists on 34 made field goals.

4 — 3-point attempts this season before Arizona freshman forward Henri Veesaar finally splashed his first-career shot from beyond the arc. Veesaar had a career-high 16 points in the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Veesaar was a perfect 5 for 5 from the field and 4 for 4 from the free-throw line.

51 — The Wildcats scored 51 bench points, a season-high. The Wildcats had 48 bench points in the season opener against Nicholls.

8 — Eight different Wildcats made 3-pointers. Arizona shot 15 for 27 (56%) from 3-point range.

He said it

“I always have fouls.” — Tubelis when asked about his foul trouble in Arizona’s loss to Tennessee last season in Knoxville. Arizona hosts sixth-ranked Tennessee on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

— Justin Spears

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Contact sports producer Justin Spears at jspears@tucson.com. On Twitter: @JustinESports