The Arizona Wildcats played their worst half of the year and refused to work for anything other than jump shots. At the half, the UA trails the Gonzaga Bulldogs 39-21. To say the effort in the first 20 minutes was putrid would be an insult to putrid things around the world.
Arizona shot 1-for-9 from behind the arc and did not make a free throw in the half. Nick Johnson has one-third of the team's points with seven, while Jordin Mayes and Jesse Perry scored four points. Solomon Hill was 0-for-3 from behind the arc, has two points, no rebounds and no assists.
Gonzaga can do no wrong on either end of the court. They shot 43% from the floor, made eight free throws and hit three 3's. Elias Harris has dominated for GU, scoring 17 points in the first half.
The Wildcats fell behind 14-0 early and did not cut the deficit to less than 12 the rest of the way. It appeared the UA was mounting a late rally to end the half, but two turnovers quickly ended any chance of that.
At this point, anything less than a double digit loss is probably a moral victory. That first half was embarrassing and pathetic to watch. When is this team going to learn they cannot jack up shots whenever they feel like it?