Arizona had a strong showing against Rice (3-0) on Thursday night at McKale center in Tucson.  The Cats finished off the Owls 66-49 and this game was never in jeopardy.  The Cats took a 13 point halftime lead and continued to battle the entire second half, never letting Rice take the lead. 

The Cats started the game on  9-0 run and never looked back. Nic Wise had 15 points, 7 assists, and 5 steals. Jamelle Horne scored 13 points while freshmen Derrick Williams and Solomon Hill each chipped in 10 and 12 respectively. Williams got the start last night and easily had the play of the game last night with this monstrous dunk:

The game atmosphere was unbelievable and the "Zona Zoo" is really taking on a life of its own. Coach Sean Miller was happy about it:

"First off I have to thank the ZonaZoo. They are so engaged, and give McKale a frenzied atmosphere that not many teams want to see. Both the ZonaZoo and the crowd did a great job at keeping the energy up, and they are what makes McKale such a tough place to play. I know that I am looking forward to getting back here quickly."`

Solid night for the Cats all around. They shot 45% from the field and held rice to a terrible 28.6% shooting percentage.  A sour note on the night was Arizona going 5-10 from the FT line.  I'm sure coach Miller will be addressing this as the season progresses.

Next up: Wisconsin in Hawaii, Monday November 23.

Full Box Score: Arizona vs. Rice