National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Arizona 81, Belmont 64
When: 7:20 PM ET, Thursday, March 21, 2013
Where: EnergySolutions Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Officials: # Donnie Eppler, # John Gaffney, # John Higgings
Attendance: N/A


Arizona 81, Belmont 64:
Mark Lyons scored 23 points as the sixth-seeded Wildcats cruised to an impressive victory over the Bruins in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Salt Lake City.

Kaleb Tarczewski, Kevin Parrom and Nick Johnson added 12 points apiece for Arizona (26-7), which shot 56.9 percent and dominated the boards 44-18. The Wildcats will meet Harvard on Saturday in the West Regional for the right to advance to the Sweet 16.

Kerron Johnson paced the 11th-seeded Bruins (26-7) with 22 points and Ian Clark added 21. Belmont was held to 39.2 percent shooting and missed 19 of its 27 shots from 3-point range after shooting 38.6 percent from beyond the arc during the regular season.

Arizona held the Bruins to seven first-half field goals and led by 12 at intermission. The Wildcats, who shot 67.9 percent in the second half, moved ahead 48-30 on Parrom’s three-point play with 14:21 remaining.

Belmont used a 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 64-53 with 5:28 left, but the Wildcats responded with a 7-3 spurt and drew clear in the final minutes. After a dismal start, the Bruins shot 54.2 percent in the second half.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Belmont was held to a season-low 20 points in the first half and fell to 0-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament. … Arizona reached the 80-point mark for the first time since beating Oregon State 80-70 on Jan. 12. … The Wildcats won despite committing 16 turnovers, including 10 in the first half.
Top Game Performances
 
Belmont   Arizona
Kerron Johnson 22 Scoring Mark Lyons 23
Kerron Johnson 3 Assists Nick Johnson 5
Trevor Noack 4 Rebounds Kevin Parrom 8
Kerron Johnson 8 Free Throws Made Kevin Parrom 5
Ian Clark 2 Steals Grant Jerrett 1
N/A Blocks Grant Jerrett 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Belmont 64 39.2 8-27 16-23 7 15 0 7 8
Arizona 81 56.9 9-17 14-20 13 42 5 2 16