In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Arizona defeated Long Beach State 85-65 on Thursday, ending Dan Monson’s tenure as head coach. During that five-minute stretch, Arizona scored 16 points in a row. The second-seeded Wildcats (26-8), led by Kylan Boswell, made a program-record 13 3-pointers during March Madness and scored 20 points.This undeniable the finish of a 17-year stretch at Long Ocean side State for the 62-year-old Monson. He learned last week that he wouldn’t return next season. His group answered by startlingly winning the Enormous West Competition to send the program to College basketball interestingly beginning around 2012. With 2:34 remaining in the first half, Arizona was one point behind. A couple of free tosses and a 3-pointer by Caleb Love began the Wildcats’ surge before halftime. Keshad Johnson (13 focuses) started off the last part with a layup, a 3 and a dunk off a rear entryway oop from Adoration, who wrapped up with 18 places and 11 bounce back. Arizona held a 50-35 lead when the surge ended at 17:08 of the second half. The 15th-seeded Beach went about 40 minutes without scoring, including the halftime break. In the West Region’s second round, either Nevada or Dayton will play the Wildcats. Aboubacar Traore and A.J. George drove the Ocean side (21-15) with 14 focuses each. After the bell, Monson shared a long embrace at midcourt with his companion and protege, Arizona mentor Tommy Lloyd. As Monson strolled gradually toward the passage, he made a gesture of blowing three kisses to the little cheering segment in the corner, where tears were streaming. It’s possible that the match served as a microcosm of Long Beach State’s season. The Beach were making the extra pass, protecting the rim, and grabbing loose balls for the first 17 minutes. A really no-look from Lassina Traore to George prompted a layup, a 28-24 lead and a field brimming with devotees. Then, things fell apart and became ugly, perhaps recalling the five-game losing streak that set the stage for everything else. Monson required two fast breaks to begin the final part — on the second, he stepped onto the court, jawing at monitor Marcus Tsohonis and any individual who might tune in after the most recent in a significant length of terrible protection. As the game injury down, the mentor remained on the sideline, hands on hips. He and his players had no responses for the Pac-12 regular-season champions, who started the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for a few weeks. The fact that Lloyd was hired by Monson as a graduate assistant before he left Gonzaga 25 years ago may have made the last loss feel a little better. They ate together in Salt Lake City recently. Monson presently heads home. Lloyd must locate additional Salt Lake restaurants.
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