By
Keith Carmona
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wildcats down Marathon 90-77 in their final tune-up before a rigorous road trip
The Arizona men's basketball team loves to brag about the depth of its roster.
Those boasts were confirmed Friday night at McKale Center when the Wildcats downed Marathon 90-77 with two of its regular starters on the bench to start the game.
Sophomore guard Gilbert Arenas did not play because he didn't "fulfill team obligations" and senior Loren Woods was reserved to bench play following a poor week of practice, UA head coach Lute Olson said. Woods' benching Friday night appears to be unrelated to his current suspension.
Friday's exhibition game was Arizona's final preparation for the 2000 regular season. By shooting 57 percent from the field, the Wildcats looked anxious for the actual games to begin.
"Loren didn't start and Gilbert didn't start, so I took it upon myself because I knew I had to be more of an offensive threat for our team out there," said junior forward Richard Jefferson, who led UA with 24 points. "That's the only reason I came out there really ready from the go."
Senior forward Justin Wessel and sophomore forward Luke Walton - starting in Arenas and Woods' absence - combined for just five points but didn't need to pick up their scoring.
Woods had 17 points and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the field in his 21 minutes as a reserve post player.
"I think it was a good game," Woods said. "It was some tough competition with some strong guys out there."
Olson said that he was pleased that his team's chemistry didn't seem to be interrupted by the lineup changes and that switching the starters around won't be uncommon.
"The guys that are going to be out there are the guys that played the best in my opinion over the course of the week," he said about Woods' benching. "The unit that started had done the best job together and that's the way it is going to be."
Whether Arenas will play in the Maui Invitational has yet to be determined.
"If he fulfills his team obligations, he'll probably be out there," Olson said. "If he doesn't, he won't."
Olson would not comment any further on why Arenas and Woods were benched, but said that he hoped it would serve as a stern lesson.
"I have always felt that the pine is a great motivator," Olson said. "We see how they practice. We are just not going to let anyone get complacent."
At halftime, the Wildcats had sprinted out to a 51-33 lead by hitting 60 percent of their field goals and extended that lead to 29 points in the second half.
With three minutes remaining, Olson put in his third string players and the Wildcats saw their lead cut to 15. The final score wasn't indicative of the game, junior forward Michael Wright said.
"We won by 15 points, but it was really a lot more than that," he said. "It was nice to see that everyone got a chance to play tonight. Our regular guys came out and played well so that guys like (senior guard) John (Ash) and (walk -on freshman guard) Jason Ranne can get into the game. "
Wright had 13 points while senior guard Lamont Frazier continued to certify himself as a proficient backup guard.
He made all seven of his shots and finished with 14 points and three assists.
With their trip to Maui looming in the distance, Walton was pleasantly surprised to see that his team didn't overlook Marathon.
"I thought we may have come out a little slow, but we came out and took care of business," Walton said. "So I think that shows a lot of character on our behalf."
