McDonald scores 22, No. 6 Arizona routs Arizona State 65-37

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Aari McDonald had 22 points and made five 3-pointers, and No. 6 Arizona quickly turned its rivalry game against Arizona State into a rout for a 65-37 victory Thursday night.

The Wildcats (4-0, 3-0 Pac-12) had to eke out a win over Southern California on Sunday, but were control from the start against Arizona State (4-2, 1-2).

Arizona shut down the Sun Devils in the first half to lead by 16 and picked apart their zone defense with crisp passing to win its third straight in the series. The Wildcats have started conference play 3-0 for the first time since 2003-04.

McDonald, an Associated Press preseason All-American, shot 5 for 11 from 3, had seven rebounds and three assists.

Arizona State struggled against Arizona's aggressive man defense without assists leader Iris Mbulito, who injured her left shoulder against No. 11 UCLA on Sunday. The Sun Devils shot 27%, went 3 of 12 from the 3-point arc and had 23 turnovers that led to 24 Arizona points.

Taya Hanson led Arizona State with 14 points.

Arizona rose to its highest ranking at No. 6 in this week's AP Top 25 after beating UCLA and holding off USC.

The Wildcats faced another tough game against an Arizona State team that won its first four games before losing by four to UCLA on Sunday.

Arizona was certainly ready for the young Sun Devils.

The Wildcats swarmed Arizona State's shooters and the passing lanes in the first quarter, holding the Sun Devils to 4-of-16 shooting while forcing six turnovers. McDonald had eight points in the quarter and Arizona used a 12-2 run to lead 15-9.

Picking apart Arizona State's zone, Arizona used a 10-0 run to push the lead to 29-11. The Wildcats led 34-18 at halftime behind McDonald's 11 points.

Arizona State rallied from a 17-point deficit before losing to UCLA, but McDonald kept knocking down shots to prevent any thought of another comeback.

The senior guard scored nine quick points in the third quarter, including consecutive 3-pointers in 13 seconds to push the Wildcats' lead to 46-23.

BIG PICTURE

Arizona State's young roster was no match for the experienced Wildcats at McKale Center, but should get better as the season progresses.

Arizona had a few breakdowns in the win over USC, but put together a complete game against its biggest rival.

UP NEXT

Arizona State: Hosts San Diego on Sunday.

Arizona: At Colorado on Dec. 18.

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