Doesn’t matter the continent, Tommy Lloyd always gets his revenge.
Three days after a humbling loss to Lithuania’s second-tier national team, Arizona led nearly wire-to-wire in an 88-74 over another Lithuanian squad on Saturday evening in Alytus. The Wildcats finished their international exhibition tour 2-1, including a win Thursday over Ukraine.
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Ivan Kharchenkov scored 30 points in the finale, making 11 of 22 shots including a trio of 3-pointers. He averaged 26.3 points in the three games.
Motiejus Krivas went for 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocks in 22 minutes in his home nation, while fellow Lithuanian Ugnius Jarusevicius had 14 points and eight rebounds in front of a hometown crowd. Derek Dixon added 13 points and six assists while Caleb Holt had seven points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Arizona shot just under 50 percent and made 8 of 20 3-pointers. It held Lithuania to 39.7 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers, leading to 17 UA points.
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Lithuania went with a roster blended between the B squad that beat Arizona 99-88 earlier in the week and the national team that fell to Estonia in an exhibition on Thursday. Not in action was ex-Wildcat forward Azuolas Tubelis, who was in attendance to watch his home nation against his alma mater.
Former Saint Mary’s guard Augustus Marciulionis led Lithuania with 15 points.
Arizona led 43-40 at the half, a 20-point turnaround from the 17-point deficit halftime deficit on Wednesday. The Wildcats opened the second half on a 10-1 run, highlighted by another Kharchenkov 3, to go up 53-41.
Lithuania cut the deficit to 59-52 late in the 3rd quarter before Kharchenkov scored on back-to-back possessions to get the lead back to double digits. Consecutive 3s by Krivas and Derek Dixon upped the UA lead to 69-55 after three periods.
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A 5-0 run by Lithuania to start the 4th again got the margin into single digits but the Wildcats kept it from getting close than eight. A Dixon 3 put them up 82-69.
Arizona held Lithuania scoreless the first 2-plus minutes, a stark contrast to the first meeting when Lithuania scored 30 in the opening quarter. The Wildcats were up 23-15 after one period, extending the lead to 11 early in the 2nd on a Kharchenkov 3.
Lithuania would go on an 11-0 run to tie it at 26, then take a 30-28 lead on a Kristupas Zemaitis jumper midway through the 2nd period. Seven straight points fromJarusevicius gave the UA a 35-33 edge with just over four minutes left in the 1st half.
The next chance to watch Arizona in action comes Sept. 26 in the Red-Blue Showcase in McKale Center.
