Arizona guard Justin Kier, middle, and guard Pelle Larsson celebrate near Stanford forward Max Murrell during Thursday’s second half.

The third-ranked Arizona Wildcats continue to dominate the early part of their Pac-12 schedule. Arizona blew past Stanford 85-57 in a late Thursday night matchup from Maples Pavilion.

Here’s how the Wildcats improved to 5-0 in conference play:

18-3: After the Cardinal scored the first basket of the game, Arizona went on an 18-3 run. Star sophomore Bennedict Mathurin had 10 points during that stretch, including a couple of 3-pointers that put the Cats comfortably ahead in the early going.

11: Stanford turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, enabling the Wildcats to take control. The Cats scored eight points off of the Cardinal’s miscues and built a lead of as many as 18 points during the half.

Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis gestures to his teammates from the bench during Thursday’s second half.

7: UA forward Azuolas Tubelis played just seven minutes as the sophomore went down with an ankle injury early in the first half. The big man was undercut by a Stanford player diving for a loose ball; he tried to remain in the game briefly before limping off to the locker room.

Tubelis returned to the bench later in the game in a walking boot on his left foot. His status for UA’s next game at Cal is uncertain.

21: With Tubelis’ injury and Christian Koloko dealing with foul trouble, Oumar Ballo came to the rescue. The 7-footer scored a career-high 21 points off the bench, showing off an array of post moves. He was 7 of 8 from the field while adding six rebounds and two blocks.

Ballo was Arizona’s top scorer.

48-20: The Cats outscored the Cardinal 48-20 in the paint, making 14 of 16 layup attempts and all six dunks.

6 of 21: If there was an area of concern for Arizona, it was their 3-point shooting. UA shot just 6 of 21 (28%) from beyond the arc. Somehow, Arizona still managed to shooting 55% (31 of 56) from the field anyway.

21.6: Arizona has won its first five Pac-12 games by an average of 21.6 points, the highest margin of victory in the league. Ten of UA’s 15 wins this season have come by 20 points or more.

58.6: The Wildcats are allowing 58.6 points over their last three games. The victory over Stanford moved them into fourth in the nation in defensive efficiency, according to Kenpom.com.


Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.

Contact sports producer Alec White at 573-4161 or awhite1@tucson.com.

On Twitter: @alecwhite_UA