KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Brian Mote tries to distract Dee Dee Wheeler with the use of a squirt gun during last nights' Lame For A Game in McKale Center. The Wildcats defeated the Wildchairs 85-77 with their use of the 10-point line, and out-of-chair-dunks

It began looking like a hard-nosed battle for hardwood supremacy.

It ended up resembling a circus more than a basketball game.

From slam-dunk showcasing to half-court shots worth 10 points, from squirt guns to silly string, last night's annual tilt between the Wildcat hoops squads and the Arizona Wildchair wheelchair basketball team simply had it all.

"I love it," said UA men's basketball sophomore forward Hassan Adams, trying to catch his breath after escaping flying buckets of water from a post-game water fight in the middle of Lute and Bobbi Olson court. "It was fun, man; just so much fun."

What started out as a low-scoring affair ÷ the Wildchairs led 31-15 going into halftime ÷ turned into an offensive exhibition. The Wildcats prevailed 85-77, thanks in part to nearly a half-dozen "10-point baskets" ÷ shots taken inside designated circles just inside half-court. The Wildcats were also aided by the mysterious addition of 12 points to its score before the start of the second half.

KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Andre Iguodala goes up for one of the Cats' "frustration dunks" during last night's Lame for a Game in McKale Center. The Wildcats beat the Wildchairs 85-77 in the annual competition.

First-year Wildchair Alex McKenzie joked that necessary rule changes, like the 10-point shot and the allotment of three "frustration dunks" per half for the Wildcats, evened the playing field between the Wildchairs and their inferior competition.

"I definitely think it's a lot harder than it looks," McKenzie said of actually trying to play the game on wheels while sitting down at the same time.

McKenzie added that the rules of wheelchair basketball are nearly identical to those of its traditional counterpart, aside from a rule that allows players two pushes per dribble while moving up and down the court.

McKenzie did, however, manage to give the Wildcats their proper due after all, saying it was exciting to play in front of thousands of fans against some of the best players in the country.

"It's great to get to face Arizona's two top-ranked teams and just see what they have," McKenzie said. "It was a great time for us to showcase what we have, too."

The Wildcats were represented by a mix of players from both the UA men's and women's basketball teams, including Adams and UA freshman point guard Mustafa Shakur from the men's squad. Sophomore guard Katrina Lindner, junior point guard Dee-Dee Wheeler and sophomore forward Anna Chappell represented the women's team.

Shakur, playing in his first Lame for a Game matchup, was impressed by how many fans showed up to support both the Wildcats and Wildchairs.

"The fans really appreciate us, even when we had some tough times earlier this year," Shakur said. "For them to come out and support everyone and stay late like that is great."

While event organizers had planned for players to throw

T-shirts and mini basketballs into the crowd of more than 4,000, Shakur and his teammates decided to add a few freebies of their own near the game's conclusion.

During a stoppage of play in the game's final minutes, Shakur hurled two of his jerseys into the mass of fans, prompting his teammates to follow suit. Iguodala countered by throwing both of his shoes into the stands, while Shakur had the crowd help him clean out his locker.

"It was incredible," said Shakur, who estimated he gave away at least four pairs of shoes to go with his pair of jerseys. "They even asked for my socks, but I just couldn't give my socks away."