TUCSON, Arizona — The Wildcats, still early in their preseason development under head coach Tommy Lloyd, struggled out of the gate. Arizona managed just 37 points in the first half and trailed 54-37 at the break.
The team tightened up after halftime, cutting the deficit to single digits at points, but could not fully close the gap against a more experienced international side.
Sophomore forward Ivan Kharchenkov paced Arizona with 25 points on efficient 10-of-16 shooting. Senior center Motiejus Krivas, playing in his home country, scored the Wildcats’ first points of the game but saw limited minutes (around 11) while continuing to recover from a minor injury. Freshmen Caleb Holt and Cameron Holmes and North Carolina transfer Derek Dixon also started.
Matas Repšys led Lithuania B with 24 points, including four three-pointers. Titas Januševičius added 13 points off the bench. The hosts shot 49 percent from the field, hit 11 threes, and went 24-of-35 from the free-throw line. Arizona finished at 47 percent from the field but struggled from deep (3-of-18) and the line (17-of-28).
Lloyd framed the result as expected and useful. “I didn’t schedule this trip for us to go undefeated,” he said. “We scheduled it to spend the time together and kind of start our culture build… Lots of respect for Lithuania… they were too strong over the 40 minutes.” He noted the value of competing against seasoned international players early in the process.
The loss is Arizona’s first game of a three-contest Lithuania tour that continues Thursday against the Ukraine senior national team and includes a later matchup with Lithuania’s senior national team. The trip emphasizes team bonding, experience, and development ahead of the 2026-27 season rather than immediate results.
