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National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Arizona 77, Northern Arizona 44
When: 10:00 PM ET, Monday, December 23, 2013
Where: McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona
Officials: # Randy McCall, # Casey McLellan, # Bill Vinovich
Attendance: 14545

No. 1 Arizona 77, Northern Arizona 44: Nick Johnson led four Wildcats in double figures with 20 points and the nation's top-ranked team rolled over the visiting Lumberjacks to move to 13-0 on the season.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson had 14 points and eight rebounds as Arizona beat its state rival for the 30th straight time. Brandon Ashley added 11 points and Gabe York had 10 points off the bench as the Wildcats capped the non-conference portion of their schedule.

Aaseem Dixon paced Northern Arizona (3-8) with nine points but the Lumberjacks lost contact after Arizona went on a 20-2 run midway through the first half.
Quinton Upshur had seven points and five rebounds as Northern Arizona dropped its fifth game in the last six outings.

Arizona trailed briefly in the game's opening minutes but used an extended run late in the first half to take a 41-17 lead at the break. The Wildcats forced 18 turnovers and had nine steals.

Arizona entered the game ranked seventh in the nation in field goal defense limiting opponents to just 37.3 percent shooting and held form as the Lumberjacks shot just 36.4 percent from the field. The Wildcats, who have won 27 straight regular-season, non-conference games at home, got nine points and five rebounds from freshman standout Aaron Gordon.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Arizona matched its third-best start in program history. ... Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski missed the game with an ankle injury but took part in warm-ups and should be back for the start of the Pac-12 campaign. ...Arizona coach Sean Miller re-entered his starting lineup in the game's final minutes after the Wildcats relaxed defensively.
Top Game Performances
 
Northern Arizona   Arizona
Aaseem Dixon 9 Scoring Nick Johnson 20
Jordan Banks 1 Assists T.J. McConnell 6
Quinton Upshur 5 Rebounds Brandon Ashley 9
Christopher Miller 3 Free Throws Made Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 6
Christopher Miller 1 Steals Gabe York 4
Len Springs 3 Blocks Brandon Ashley 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Northern Arizona 44 36.4 6-14 6-10 4 26 4 2 18
Arizona 77 48.1 7-13 18-24 16 31 3 9 5