Dell'Orso, Love lead the way as No. 24 Arizona beats Davidson 104-71 at Battle 4 Atlantis
In this handout provided by Bahamas Visual Services, Arizona guard Anthony Dell'Orso shoots over Davidson guard Connor Kochera during an NCAA college basketball game against Davidsonat the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. Credit: AP/Tim Aylen
NASSAU, Bahamas — Anthony Dell’Orso hit five 3-pointers and scored 21 points, Caleb Love added three 3s and 20 points and No. 24 Arizona pulled away for a 104-71 victory over Davidson at the Battle 4 Atlantis on Wednesday night to snap a two-game skid.
Trey Townsend added 17 points, Tobe Awaka had 13 points and 10 rebounds and Motiejus Krivas scored 10 points for Arizona (3-2), which shot 57% and made 11 of 22 from 3-point range.
Connor Kochera scored 20 points and Bobby Durkin hit five 3s and added 15 points for Davidson (4-1), which shot 38% and made just 11 of 34 3-point tries.
Arizona's 17-point second-half lead was cut to six about 7 1/2 minutes into the second half but the team outscored Davidson 36-9 the rest of the way.
Arizona led at halftime 49-37.
Takeaways
Arizona arrived at this tournament after losses to Wisconsin and Duke. Once ranked No. 9 in The Associated Press Top 25 poll, the Wildcats had slipped to No. 24. They're trying to keep alive a streak of having been ranked in the last 61 AP polls. This victory helps but there are more obstacles ahead in this tourney.
Key moment
Townsend's second 3-pointer to cap an 18-4 run left Davidson behind after it had cut an earlier 17-point deficit to six points.
In this handout provided by Bahamas Visual Services, Arizona guard Jaden Bradley goes to the basket as Davidson forward Sean Logan (15) defends during an NCAA college basketball game at the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in Paradise Island, Bahamas Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024. Credit: AP/Tim Aylen
Key stats
Though Arizona shot well from the arc, much of its effort went to using its dominance inside to outscore Davidson 50-28 in the paint. It's interior defense helped hold Davidson's top offensive weapon, 6-foot-11 Reed Bailey, a 19 points-per-game scorer, to nine points and 3-of-11 shooting.
Up next
Arizona takes on Oklahoma, a 79-77 winner over Providence, in the semifinals on Thursday. Davidson will play the Friars in the consolation bracket.
