Nico Mannion tossed a lob to Josh Green for the first basket in Arizona‘s exhibition against Division II Chico State.
That freshman connection was about the only thing that went to script.
Thirty minutes before tip-off Zeke Nnaji (ankle injury) and Devonaire Doutrive (suspension) were declared out, ridding Arizona of two of its top players.
UA then got all it could handle by the visiting Wildcats, who led at halftime and for parts of the second half before Arizona pulled away for a 74-65 victory.
A thunderous dunk by Green gave Arizona a 39-38 lead with 15:35 left, highlighting a 9-2 run that gave UA a six-point lead, its largest advantage of the night at the time.