KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior forward Luke Walton makes a layup last night against Team Nike. Walton scored 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and had seven assists in his first game back from a sprained ankle.

It took almost 10 minutes, but the Arizona men's basketball team finally showed how scary it can be when both its offense and press work together at the same time.

With the score tied at 20 in the first half, the Wildcats cashed in on seven consecutive turnovers from their fulll-court press to go on 27-3 run, as they coasted to an easy 100-83 victory over Team Nike in front of 14,550 last night in McKale Center.

"We all played well and moved the ball much better," senior guard Jason Gardner said. "We wore them down after that run."

The Wildcats alternated between both the full- and half-court presses throughout the game. UA looked a lot more polished in its aggressive defense last night than it did in its first exhibition game against the EA Sports All-Stars on Nov. 12.

"The press is getting better, and it's improved reasonably," head coach Lute Olson said. "Everyone has got to play hard, because there aren't any guaranteed spots."

After a dunk by freshman forward Andre Iguodala and a layup by Gardner, forward Dennis Latimore threw down a thunderous dunk and later completed a three-point play off a Team Nike turnover to turn what was once a close game into a blowout.

The sophomore said he has had an easier time with the fast-tempo offense this season.

"I came off the bench and I didn't get that winded," said Latimore, who finished with nine points in 18 minutes. "I'm just trying to get better in practice and in every game."

Sophomore guard Will Bynum had 11 points during the first-half run, courtesy of the three three-pointers. He also finished the last two minutes of the first half at point guard, but saw limited action in the second half while spelling Gardner at the point.

"I was in a nice rhythm and felt relaxed, because this is my style of play," said Bynum, referring to the up-and-down game UA played last night.

Team Nike guard Dave Ferguson led all scorers with 22 points and was 5-of-8 from three-point range. The St. Louis alum played all 40 minutes.

Arizona was able to keep the press on through most of the game with a nine-player rotation, as each of them played double-digit minutes.

"We can utilize our depth," Olson said. "I don't care if you're in for 10 seconds or 10 minutes ÷ if I see you let up, you're out of there."

The other bright spot of the game was Iguodala and his team-high 15 points. Iguodala was the second straight freshman to lead the Wildcats in scoring after Hassan Adams led the team against the EA All-Stars.

Olson said Iguodala gave him something to think about during the last two days of practice before the season opener on Saturday against Western Kentucky.

"He was great tonight and his defense was outstanding," Olson said. "The way he played, he could be in the (starting) lineup on Saturday."

The Wildcats open their season Saturday against the Hilltoppers, and many players said they are excited to start their regular season.

"We're seeing all these other college teams playing already, so we are ready for Saturday," Gardner said.

Sideline notes

Senior forward Luke Walton saw his first competitive action of the season after coming off of an ankle sprain he suffered earlier in the month during practice. He went 6-for-9 from the floor and had seven assists. Sophomore Salim Stoudamire, who has been hampered by an ankle sprain also, was the only player to not play last night but the left-hander is supposed to return to practice today and play against Western Kentucky · Senior forward Rick Anderson scored the game's first seven points. Three of them were from a mistake three-pointer on a failed alley-oop attempt to Iguodala · Northern Arizona graduate Casey Frank had four rebounds and scored one point in his 16 minutes of play.