SALT LAKE CITY, UT – Things started to get dicey for the West’s second-seed midway through the second half, but then Arizona kicked into gear and never looked back on their way to a 100-83 victory over fifteenth-seeded North Dakota.
All five Wildcat starters scored in double figures, with freshmen duo Lauri Markkanen and Rawle Alkins pouring in 20 points apiece on a red-hot combined 16-of-20 shooting effort from the floor.
Senior guard Quinton Hooker–the heart and soul of the rise of the Fighting Hawks’ basketball program–once again put the Grand Forks team on his back, scoring 25 points off of 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc in his final collegiate game.
Kevin Kugler and Dan Dickau called the action on Westwood One Sports.