Caleb Love leads Arizona to a win over the Samford Bulldogs at the McKale Center

Facing the Bulldogs’ aggressive full court pressure, the Wildcats shot 58.2% and had just four turnovers in the first half. However, they turned it over nine times in a second half where Samford mostly even played the Wildcats.

Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd started Anthony Dell’Orso for the first time this season at small forward while playing freshman 7-footer Emmanuel Stephen for the first time with 2:36 left in the game. Lloyd had said Tuesday he would redshirt Stephens because of a foot injury that threatens to keep projected starting center Motiejus Krivas out for the season.

Love hit 3 of 9 3-pointers while also going to the free throw line far more often than he had all season. Love had taken just 12 free throws over the Wildcats’ previous nine games, but made eight, all in the first half.

Trey Townsend added 12 points and seven rebounds, while Jaden Bradley had 11 points and six assists.

The win moved Arizona back to .500 at 5-5, with one final non-conference game left to play, Saturday against Central Michigan at the McKale Center. Samford dropped to 9-3.

Returning home after losing five of their previous seven games, the Wildcats started early without many mistakes against the aggressive Bulldogs defense and led comfortably after the first 18 minutes, even though Samford played them even throughout the second half.

Love hit a 3-pointer on UA’s first possession and the Wildcats took a 13-9 lead into the first media timeout after making 5 of 9 shots and with assists setting up each one. They also didn’t turn the ball over once during that span.

Up by 23 at halftime, Arizona let its lead slip to 14 over the first six minutes of the second half after Samford scored seven straight points, including a 3-pointer from Collin Holloway.

But Samford outscored the Wildcats by four through the first 16 minutes of the second half, with UA committing six turnovers over three minutes late in the half, helping the Bulldogs cut it to within 20 points with just under five minutes remaining.

In the first half, Love had a potential 18-point first-half layup Wednesday to help the Wildcats take a 56-33 halftime lead.

Arizona played the kind of efficient, free-flowing offense that has eluded it most of the season, shooting 61.3% and turning the ball over just four times against Samford’s aggressive defense in the first half.

The Arizona Wildcats address the media following their win over Long Beach State

Arizona opened the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament with a big second half against Long Beach State.

The Bulldogs scored just two points off UA’s four turnovers, while the Wildcats instead had 12 points on Samford’s six turnovers.

Love scored his 17 points while hitting 5 of 7 from the field (2 of 4 from 3-point range) and going to the line a season-high eight times. He made 6 of 8 free throws.

Anthony Dell’Orso added eight points in his first start of the season, though he was just 1 of 6 from 3-point range, while Trey Townsend added eight points and four rebounds.

Dell’Orso started at small forward, where UA coach Tommy Lloyd started KJ Lewis at the beginning of the season and then freshman Carter Bryant for the Wildcats’ previous three games.

Samford’s Isaiah West hit a 3-pointer to pull the Bulldogs within 10-9 with 16:45 left in the first half, and Collin Holloway hit another later to cut UA’s lead to 16-15, but the Wildcats took off from there.

UA scored eight straight points, the last two when Trey Townsend dunked in an offensive rebound off Anthony Dell’Orso’s missed 3-pointer. The Wildcats rolled it into what became a 23-6 run that gave them a 39-21 lead with 5:52 left after Love hit another 3-pointer at halftime.

Before the game, Arizona held a ceremony to place former guard TJ McConnell in its Ring of Honor for playing in 10 NBA seasons. After helping the Wildcats to back-to-back Elite Eights in 2014 and 2015, McConnell went undrafted in 2015 but has since played key roles for the 76ers and Pacers.

As he did when he played his final game at the McKale Center in 2015, McConnell kissed the floor after the ceremony, cheered on by his Pacers teammates and a crowd that eventually grew to about 11,000.