To put it bluntly, No. 3-ranked Arizona's 67-56 win over rival Arizona State Saturday afternoon at McKale Center was a "rock fight," according to UA head coach Tommy Lloyd.
After shooting a season-low 31% from the field in a loss to UCLA earlier this week, the Wildcats shot 32% against the Sun Devils, including a 2-for-15 start from the field.
Arizona also shot 3-for-23 from 3-point range, but outscored ASU 28-16 in paint points and was 26-for-32 from the free-throw line while the Sun Devils were 8-for-15.
The UA moved to 17-2 on the season and has a rematch with the Bruins on Thursday at McKale Center. Following Saturday's win, Lloyd's first of the rivalry, Arizona's coach addressed the Wildcats' performance, among other pertinent topics; here's what he said:
Arizona's poor shooting
“These guys don’t miss on purpose. And when they miss it, they feel worse than you do. So, you just gotta hang with it sometimes.” — Tommy Lloyd on Arizona’s shooting woes over the last two games pic.twitter.com/eZpwfP1AYO
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) January 30, 2022
'We're going to stay locked and loaded'
While Arizona is ranked third nationally, Tommy Lloyd and Arizona don’t expect to rout teams every game.“I know that’s not how it works. … We’re gonna respect every team that we play.” pic.twitter.com/QSctTtTRVH
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) January 30, 2022
Resting up for the rematch
What’s next for Arizona after win over ASU? “Rest.” Arizona faces UCLA for a rematch on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/aReoYZNb2Y
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) January 30, 2022
Rise of Oumar Ballo
Tommy Lloyd talks Arizona’s free-throw shooting and Oumar Ballo’s improvement over the last few games: “He’s kind of become an anchor for what we’re doing right now and he deserves a ton of credit.” pic.twitter.com/KW2E19dsfb
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) January 29, 2022
Tubelis brothers receive Lithuanian surprise
Asked Tommy Lloyd about Mama Tubelis coming from Lithuania to Tucson to surprise her sons. https://t.co/05fFEbur3A pic.twitter.com/WcbGu8ywBi
— Justin Spears (@JustinESports) January 29, 2022
