SALT LAKE CITY – While there’s no question Deandre Ayton (again), Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Rawle Alkins were the statistical leaders in Arizona’s 94-82 win at Utah on Thursday, Allonzo Trier also made a significant impact in a different way than usual.
Trier had seven points and five rebounds – but five assists to two turnovers while playing point guard for seven minutes of the second half when PJC ran into foul trouble.
There were some critical minutes Trier played the point, too. Jackson-Cartwright picked up his fourth foul on a charge with UA leading 70-68 with 6:26 to go, and didn’t return until the 3:45 mark.
In between, Utah tied the game three times but never took a lead over the Wildcats and their restrained junior guard.
“When you’re a scorer like him, sometimes you try to make plays that aren’t there because you’re so accustomed to scoring and maybe when he was younger he would do that,” UA coach Sean Miller said. “But he’s smarter now and he plays for the win. Some of the best passes tonight happened by him playing with the ball and, remember, Parker went down at a critical time with four fouls. (Trier) was the point guard and he did an exceptional job during that period of time.”
When PJC returned, the Wildcats finished the game on a 14-5 run.
All was good at UA’s point guard position.
“Allonzo, we expect that out of him,” Jackson-Cartwright said. “He’s a great player. He can handle it. He can finish. He can score. He can get everybody involved. When you have that guy who’s a jack-of-all-trades, it really helps the team.”
PJC, meanwhile, looks like he’s gonna take another crack at leading the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting percentage.
He led the conference with a 48.6 percent mark during league games in 2015-16 and actually shot the same percentage as a junior last season but finished fourth.
So far this season, he’s 4 for 8 in two Pac-12 games and 22 for 42 (52.4 percent) overall.
Typically, though, Jackson-Cartwright said he wasn’t focused on it in that way.
“I just think it’s a testament to great teammates and hard work,” Jackson-Cartwright said. “It’s not in the back of my head but when I’m open I know I can knock it in, and when I have company I’m gonna make every open three. That’s just my mentality and my teammates do a great job of finding me.”
Jackson-Cartwright also had to deal with Utah point guard Justin Bibbins, a longtime nemesis from Southern California who was coming off a big week in Oregon.
While PJC had 19 points, 3-of-4 3-point shooting and three assists, Bibbins had 14 points with 2-for-5 3-point shooting, plus eight assists to only one turnover.
“I’ve known Bibb since I was seven years old,” PJC said. “He’s always a tough opponent. I knew if I didn’t bring it tonight, he would take it to me. He’s really the engine that runs their team. I just tried to get him out of his flow, tried to get him out of his rhythm. It’s a fun little battle.”
But while Miller turned to Trier at the point during crunch time, that meant he did not go to Alex Barcello at all. (Miller also didn’t play Emmanuel Akot for the second game in a row and fourth time overall this season).
Barcello played five minutes in the first half and was 0 for 2 from the field but none in the second. Ever since he returned from a sprained ankle last month, Barcello has been thrust into a fierce battle for minutes -- especially now that Rawle Alkins has returned and Trier has improved as a point guard.
“Alex we believe in,” Miller said. “He’s a young guy who’s learning and I think the more he gets out there, the more confident he’ll be.
“He played tonight and he did a couple of good things. Made a couple shots, the last shot at the half and maybe one other. He’s a really good shooter. It’s just a matter of one dropping.”
Barcello has scored only four points in his past four games, all against North Dakota State.
My seat was too far from the floor to hear any of the fan heckling at UA players Thursday, but Star photographer Kelly Presnell was sitting along the baseline when he heard one crack at Keanu Pinder.
“You can’t do that!" the fan said. "You’re not paid to do that!”
So if that’s what Pinder had to hear, you can imagine what some of his teammates might have heard … and what they might hear Saturday at Colorado, another venue where students sit adjacent to the visiting team bench.
Colorado fans were so rowdy Thursday that the school could get fined $25,000 for having fans storm the court before ASU could get safely off it Thursday, after the Buffs upset the fourth-ranked Sun Devils in overtime, 90-81.
UA will face the Buffaloes on Saturday at noon.
