Arizona has reached the end of its stay in Maui with one last game to play. It's a little strange that the third-place game is the final game of the tournament with the championship already decided, but that's the case as UA will end the Maui Invitational with a game against No. 8 Auburn.
UA's first loss of the season gave plenty of things to watch tonight as the Wildcats look to bounce back from a loss for the first time this year. I'll post updates throughout the game and feel free to join the conversation as Sean Miller and the 'Cats wrap up their trip to Maui.
Arizona starters: Justin Coleman, Brandon Williams, Brandon Randolph, Ryan Luther, Chase Jeter
Auburn starters: Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, Samir Doughty, Anfernee McLemore, Chuma Okeke
1st half
- Okeke gets the scoring started with a bucket in the paint as UA has a couple offensive fouls to open this game; Coleman stays hot with a 3-pointer to get the Wildcats on the board; J'Von McCormick hits a 3-pointer for Auburn; Williams gets a layup for the Wildcats but he gets hit in the face and has to go to the bench to get looked at; Austin Wiley with a jumper to give Auburn the lead back [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 7 Arizona 5 - 15:35]
- Malik Dunbar finally ends the scoring drought for both teams in this game with a 3-pointer; Horace Spencer with a put back after a miss for Auburn as Alex Barcello didn't box him out; Harper with a bucket as Auburn has its current run at 12-2 over the last five minutes [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 14 Arizona 5 - 11:14]
- Ira Lee hits a couple free throws but the run without a field goal for the Wildcats continues although the lead has been cut in half; Jeter gets a nice bucket to fall ending the drought from the field for the Wildcats; Dunbar gets the layup for the Tigers to extend the lead; Dunbar with a 3-pointer to push the Auburn lead up to 10 points; Jeter gets his shot blocked but it's called a goal tend and that's two more points for UA; Jeter gets fouled and hits two free throws as he has UA's last six points; McCormick hits his second 3-pointer as the shot clock is down to one second [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 22 Arizona 13 - 7:17]
- Jeter hits a free throw to trim the lead some more; Okeke with a big dunk and the lead is back up to 10 points for Auburn; Coleman with a floater to get back on the board with some points as UA has a little bit of momentum; Coleman finds Jeter for a dunk as the crowd gets back into it and the Wildcats have something going now; Coleman finds Emmanuel Akot for an easy backdoor bucket and the Wildcats have the lead down to 4 points; Coleman hits and UA is on an 8-0 run and the lead is down to two points [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 24 Arizona 22 - 3:14]
- Harper hits a couple free throws out of the timeout as Auburn's lead goes back up to 4; Brown gets his first bucket of the game for Auburn and the lead is up to 6 points for the Tigers
2nd half
- Randolph hits a 3-pointer to open the second half; Brown hits a 3-pointer for Auburn; Williams hits a 3-pointer as the scoring is coming fast now for the Wildcats and UA has the lead down to 3 points; Randolph with another 3-pointer to tie it up as his hot start to the second half continues; ANOTHER 3-pointer as Brown hits for Auburn; Okeke with a bucket for the Tigers as Luther gets shaken up and has to go to the bench for UA after getting elbowed in the mouth; Jeter gets a layup to fall as UA closes the gap; Wiley comes back with another bucket for Auburn; Randolph with another 3-pointer as he has come out hot to start the second half [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 38 Arizona 36 - 15:50]
- Wiley makes one of two free throws to push the lead to 3 points; Okeke pushes it back up to a 4-point lead as he makes one of two from the line; Coleman to Randolph for his fourth 3-pointer of the second half; Okeke gets a bucket to fall for Auburn as the offense has come alive so far in this half; Randolph gets called for his fourth foul as Dunbar gets a bucket and a free throw to push the lead back up to 6 points for Auburn; Coleman with a corner 3-pointer off the assist from Williams; Brown takes it baseline and he gets the shot to fall and gets the foul call as well [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 47 Arizona 42 - 11:47]
- Brown finishes the 3-point play and Auburn is up by 6 points now; Coleman with another 3-pointer for the Wildcats as UA continues to stay in this one; Brown with a couple free throws to push the lead back up to 5 in favor of Auburn; Coleman with ANOTHER 3-pointer as UA gets the lead back down to two points midway through the second half; Dunbar jumper pushes the lead back up to four points for AU; Dunbar with a huge breakaway dunk and UA takes a timeout [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 54 Arizona 48 - 9:01]
- Jeter hits one of two from the line after being fouled; Okeke gets fouled and hits one of two from the line for Auburn; Jeter with a nice bucket on the spin move to the hoop and UA has the lead down to 4 points; Doughty hits a 3-pointer and pushes the lead back up to 7 points for the Tigers; Spencer with a monster dunk plus the foul and Auburn has the lead back up to 10 points; Akot gets picked by Doughty and it turns into a dunk the other way forcing an Arizona timeout with the lead now up to 12 points; Brown with a 3-pointer and it's a 15-point lead for Auburn and an 11-0 run for the Tigers; Randolph hits his fifth 3-pointer of the game and UA has it back down to 12 points; Okeke to Doughty for another bucket [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 68 Arizona 54 - 3:15]
- Brown with another 3-pointer as he has 19 points to lead the Tigers; Spencer with another dunk to push the lead bck up some more; Randolph gets a bucket and foul plus he makes a free throw for the 3-point play
Final: No. 8 Auburn 73 Arizona 57
UA's first loss of the season gave plenty of things to watch tonight as the Wildcats look to bounce back from a loss for the first time this year. I'll post updates throughout the game and feel free to join the conversation as Sean Miller and the 'Cats wrap up their trip to Maui.
Arizona starters: Justin Coleman, Brandon Williams, Brandon Randolph, Ryan Luther, Chase Jeter
Auburn starters: Jared Harper, Bryce Brown, Samir Doughty, Anfernee McLemore, Chuma Okeke
1st half
- Okeke gets the scoring started with a bucket in the paint as UA has a couple offensive fouls to open this game; Coleman stays hot with a 3-pointer to get the Wildcats on the board; J'Von McCormick hits a 3-pointer for Auburn; Williams gets a layup for the Wildcats but he gets hit in the face and has to go to the bench to get looked at; Austin Wiley with a jumper to give Auburn the lead back [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 7 Arizona 5 - 15:35]
- Malik Dunbar finally ends the scoring drought for both teams in this game with a 3-pointer; Horace Spencer with a put back after a miss for Auburn as Alex Barcello didn't box him out; Harper with a bucket as Auburn has its current run at 12-2 over the last five minutes [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 14 Arizona 5 - 11:14]
- Ira Lee hits a couple free throws but the run without a field goal for the Wildcats continues although the lead has been cut in half; Jeter gets a nice bucket to fall ending the drought from the field for the Wildcats; Dunbar gets the layup for the Tigers to extend the lead; Dunbar with a 3-pointer to push the Auburn lead up to 10 points; Jeter gets his shot blocked but it's called a goal tend and that's two more points for UA; Jeter gets fouled and hits two free throws as he has UA's last six points; McCormick hits his second 3-pointer as the shot clock is down to one second [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 22 Arizona 13 - 7:17]
- Jeter hits a free throw to trim the lead some more; Okeke with a big dunk and the lead is back up to 10 points for Auburn; Coleman with a floater to get back on the board with some points as UA has a little bit of momentum; Coleman finds Jeter for a dunk as the crowd gets back into it and the Wildcats have something going now; Coleman finds Emmanuel Akot for an easy backdoor bucket and the Wildcats have the lead down to 4 points; Coleman hits and UA is on an 8-0 run and the lead is down to two points [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 24 Arizona 22 - 3:14]
- Harper hits a couple free throws out of the timeout as Auburn's lead goes back up to 4; Brown gets his first bucket of the game for Auburn and the lead is up to 6 points for the Tigers
2nd half
- Randolph hits a 3-pointer to open the second half; Brown hits a 3-pointer for Auburn; Williams hits a 3-pointer as the scoring is coming fast now for the Wildcats and UA has the lead down to 3 points; Randolph with another 3-pointer to tie it up as his hot start to the second half continues; ANOTHER 3-pointer as Brown hits for Auburn; Okeke with a bucket for the Tigers as Luther gets shaken up and has to go to the bench for UA after getting elbowed in the mouth; Jeter gets a layup to fall as UA closes the gap; Wiley comes back with another bucket for Auburn; Randolph with another 3-pointer as he has come out hot to start the second half [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 38 Arizona 36 - 15:50]
- Wiley makes one of two free throws to push the lead to 3 points; Okeke pushes it back up to a 4-point lead as he makes one of two from the line; Coleman to Randolph for his fourth 3-pointer of the second half; Okeke gets a bucket to fall for Auburn as the offense has come alive so far in this half; Randolph gets called for his fourth foul as Dunbar gets a bucket and a free throw to push the lead back up to 6 points for Auburn; Coleman with a corner 3-pointer off the assist from Williams; Brown takes it baseline and he gets the shot to fall and gets the foul call as well [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 47 Arizona 42 - 11:47]
- Brown finishes the 3-point play and Auburn is up by 6 points now; Coleman with another 3-pointer for the Wildcats as UA continues to stay in this one; Brown with a couple free throws to push the lead back up to 5 in favor of Auburn; Coleman with ANOTHER 3-pointer as UA gets the lead back down to two points midway through the second half; Dunbar jumper pushes the lead back up to four points for AU; Dunbar with a huge breakaway dunk and UA takes a timeout [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 54 Arizona 48 - 9:01]
- Jeter hits one of two from the line after being fouled; Okeke gets fouled and hits one of two from the line for Auburn; Jeter with a nice bucket on the spin move to the hoop and UA has the lead down to 4 points; Doughty hits a 3-pointer and pushes the lead back up to 7 points for the Tigers; Spencer with a monster dunk plus the foul and Auburn has the lead back up to 10 points; Akot gets picked by Doughty and it turns into a dunk the other way forcing an Arizona timeout with the lead now up to 12 points; Brown with a 3-pointer and it's a 15-point lead for Auburn and an 11-0 run for the Tigers; Randolph hits his fifth 3-pointer of the game and UA has it back down to 12 points; Okeke to Doughty for another bucket [SCORE UPDATE: Auburn 68 Arizona 54 - 3:15]
- Brown with another 3-pointer as he has 19 points to lead the Tigers; Spencer with another dunk to push the lead bck up some more; Randolph gets a bucket and foul plus he makes a free throw for the 3-point play
Final: No. 8 Auburn 73 Arizona 57
