Anyone who panicked after Arizona men’s basketball dropped its opening game of the Lithuania tour in blowout fashion can take a deep breath. This team is going to be good.
Arizona defeated the Ukrainian national team 107-85 on Thursday, a day after putting up an uncompetitive performance against the Lithuania ‘B’ team. Sophomore forward Ivan Kharchenkov scored 20 of his team-high 24 points in the first half as the Wildcats jumped all over a Ukraine team that was sitting a few of its best players.
The Wildcats shot 53% from the fieldincluding 8 of 15 from three-point range, a big improvement from Tuesday’s 99-88 loss in which the team connected on just 3 of 18 attempts from deep.
Playing on his home turf, Lithuanian Ugnius Jarusevicius scored 20 points on 8 of 11 shooting to complement Kharchenkov’s scoring. Freshman guard Caleb Holt added a 15-point, 14-rebound double double.
Sophomore point guard Derek Dixon (18 points) and senior big man Motjieus Krivas (16 points) also looked sharp offensively.
Arizona controlled the game from the tip, sprinting out to a 33-24 lead after one quarter a 61-44 advantage at halftime.
A scary moment occurred late in the third quarter when Kharchenkov appeared to hurt his ankle landing on a shot attempt. Kharchenkov managed to walk off on his own power.
JJ Mandaquit (foot injury) and Mabil Mawut (visa issue) didn’t compete, nor did Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey, whose eligibility for the 2026-27 season is still being finalized.
Arizona’s final game of the trip is still in question. Coach Tommy Lloyd said Wednesday that the Lithuanian national team — originally scheduled to play Arizona on Saturday — may not be available, meaning the UA will face the same Lithuanian ‘B’ squad again.
Arizona will spend Friday practicing and sightseeing before playing its final game Saturday at 9:30 a.m. MST.
