Freshman point guard Nico Mannion had 13 points and tied a career-high with 11 assists as he posted his second double-double in No. 15 Arizona's 99-49 rout of Omaha on Wednesday night in Tucson, Ariz.
Mannion reached double-digit dishes with just over two minutes gone in the second half, when he fed Zeke Nnaji for a dunk. He hit a 3-pointer for his 10th point with 16:33 to go, giving him a double-double in his 20th minute of playing time.
Chase Jeter scored 15 points for Arizona (10-1), making all five of his shots from the field and all five from the free throw line. Josh Green also scored 15, and Dylan Smith poured in all 14 of his points in the first half. Ira Lee scored 12 off the bench. Backup center Christian Koloko grabbed 10 rebounds in 13 minutes.
KJ Robinson scored 15 for Omaha (5-7), which has lost four consecutive games, all on the road. Post player Matt Pile had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Arizona, tuning up for a visit from sixth-ranked Gonzaga on Saturday, shot 57.6 percent (38 of 66) while bouncing back from its first loss -- 63-58 at then-No. 18 Baylor on Saturday.
The Wildcats were unchallenged in the second half, extending a 20-point halftime edge and more than doubling Omaha's point total at various times, including the final score after walk-on Matt Weyand hit a 3-pointer in the final minute. The Mavericks made just 26.6 percent from the field.
Arizona took its first double-digit lead at 15-4 when Mannion threw a pass from the backcourt to Lee for a dunk with 13:18 to go before halftime. Omaha lost touch early by making only two of its first 14 shots.
At the final media timeout of the half, with 3:25 to go, Smith had 14 points -- one more than Omaha. The Mavericks' highlight came when Robinson pulled up and swished a buzzer-beating 40-footer to cut Arizona's lead to 43-23.
Arizona played without backup post player Stone Gettings for the third consecutive game because of concussion symptoms and a facial fracture. He is not likely to play Saturday against Gonzaga.
--Field Level Media
