The 11th-ranked Arizona Wildcats earned a huge road win over Illinois Saturday, winning 83-79 in a game that went down to the final minute.
These numbers explain how the Wildcats improved to 9-0 under first-year coach Tommy Lloyd:
10
Illinois went on a 19-0 first-half run to go up 37-24, and it seemed like the Wildcats were losing their grip on the matchup. Arizona responded with a 10-0 run of its own to keep it close.
The Wildcats trailed by just four points at halftime.
Arizona outscored the Illini by eight points in the second half after trailing 42-38 at the break.
19
Kerr Kriisa scored a career-high 19 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Kriisa hit 6 of 10 shots in the second half, including a pair of 3s, while dishing out three assists. He had five points and an assist over the final six minutes.
3
Arizonaβs interior defense frustrated Illinois in the second half, forcing the Illini to go 3 of 15 on two-point shots. While the Illini were hot from 3-point range, going 16 of 36, the Cats held their opponent to 11 of 32 inside the arc Saturday.
25
The Cats won the turnover battle against Illinois, scoring 25 points off 16 turnovers.
27.6
Arizona star Bennedict Mathurin is averaging 27.6 points on 60% shooting and 7.6 rebounds over his last three games. He had a season-high 30 points on 10 of 17 from the field and five 3-pointers against Illinois.
18
The Wildcats also had the advantage in fast-break points, putting up 18 compared to just three by Illinois.
