After a close 40-33 first half, Arizona (4-0) got off to a fast start against Wichita State (3-1) in the second half and led at one point 54-40 before the Shockers came storming back and forced overtime. The Wildcats were able to hold on and win a gritty 82-78 game to await the winner of the Michigan-UNLV game.

"I was really proud of our guys for battling," UA head coach Tommy Lloyd said. "It was one of those crazy, seesaw games a little bit where we got up and felt like maybe we were a little bit in control, and they came storming back.

"... All in all, a great experience, and I'm glad the result went our way. We can learn a lot from a good win."

Arizona forward Benn Mathurin shinned as bright as the Vegas lights, scoring 25 points and grabbing 10 rebounds for a double-double while going 8 for 15 from the field.

"I just felt like today was the game I needed to grab a lot of rebounds to help my team win," Mathurin said of his double-double performance. "... A little bit more comfortable as I got to play three games previously with my team. Just get used to the new players on the team, the flow of the style of play. Just getting used it and getting more comfortable."

Not to be outdone, forward Azuolas Tubelis and center Christian Koloko combined for 29 points and 17 of the team's 47 rebounds.

Koloko posted a double-double and had four block shots making him the anchor of the Wildcats defense against Wichita State.

"We knew coming in that it was gonna be a tough game," Koloko said. "We were ready for it, because we knew coming here we're gonna face adversity. I think we faced some adversity, and I'm really proud of my teammates and coach. We all stayed poised, and we just played and we won the game."

The defense for Arizona held the Shockers to 34% shooting from the field and forced them to go 12 for 39 from the 3-point line.

Although the Wildcats forced only two steals, Arizona still caused 15 Wichita State turnovers and scored 18 points off of them.

"I thought for the most part our defense was pretty good all around," Lloyd said. "A game like that, they shot 33%. It now comes down to chasing down loose balls and long rebounds, and things of that nature."

Offensively, Arizona struggled to hang on to the rock, the Wildcats turned the ball over 22 times and the Shockers were able to get 11 steals.

Turnovers weren't the only problem for the Wildcats.

Coming into Friday night's game, Arizona had been shooting 39% from the 3-point line, but against the Shockers, the Wildcats struggled to find the bottom of the net from deep and went 5 for 27, missing some wide-open shot along the way.

However, the area where Arizona hurt itself the most was at the free-throw line. The Wildcats have struggled at the line through the first three games and against the Shockers that problem almost cost Lloyd's team the game by shooting 69% on 41 attempts.

Still, Arizona found a way to get the victory and now will play on Sunday against No. 4 Michigan (3-1), which defeated UNLV in the second game of the night Friday. The Wildcats' matchup with the Wolverines is set to tip off at 7:30 p.m. MST.

GOAZCATS.com senior editor Matt Moreno contributed to this report.

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