At the newly renovated McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona tonight, Sean Miller won his first game of the new season as they defeated the Mount Saint Mary's Mountaineers by a score of 78-55, a school who plays their basketball in the NEC conference and are one of the favorites to win it this year.

This is exactly the test that Sean Miller wanted to open up the season. The Mountaineers battled the Wildcats toe-to-toe for most of the evening as their stalwart defense caused some frustration from time to time. But as Brandon Ashley made his return, he lead all scorers tonight by dropping in 21 points while shooting 9-10 from the field. Ashley's biggest contribution was on the defensive side of the ball though. Although he did not have a block, the big 6 ft. 9 in. 240 pound forward played a huge rule by stopping easy shots inside the paint with size and athletic ability. "I didn't think about how I played, just how it felt to get back out there on the court," he said following the victory. "Tonight was a confirmation that I still can play at this level and it was a confidence boost for sure as well." 

Stanley Johnson was one of the biggest prospects coming into the season and in his first collegiate game, he did not play very well in truth. A couple of times he shot the ball, although they were decent looks, it was just too early for Miller's liking. It was just his first game and over the course of the season you will see vast improvements from Johnson. A big key to Arizona's win tonight was their ability to turn turnovers into points as they came away with a number of easy buckets because of their ability to turn the ball over and break out quickly in transition. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson started this game as a sub but put up monster numbers, including a number of thunderous dunks, as he gave the Cats that extra spark on the offensive side of things. 

The Mountaineers should not leave Tucson with their heads held low as they put up great fight. Byron Ashe and Kristian Krajina had stellar performances against one of the best team's in the country. They both put up double digit points as Krajina lead the way for Mount Saint Mary's with 13 points as he shot 5 of 12 from the field. Arizona will next take on Cal State Northridge this Sunday as the Mountaineers will play Maryland - Eastern Shore this coming Wednesday evening.

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