TUCSON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Chase Budinger fired in a game-high 25 points Tuesday, allowing No. 17 Arizona to slip past Northern Arizona 76-69 in the Wildcats' season-opener.
Lute Olson, Arizona's 73- year-old coach, missed the game, having taken an indefinite leave of absence for undisclosed reasons. Assistant coach Kevin O'Neill is running the team in his absence.
Budinger also grabbed six rebounds and four assists for the Wildcats.
Jerryd Bayless scored 18 points and Jawann McClellan added 15 points for Arizona (1-0), which made just 38.3 percent of its shots from the floor.
Nate Geiser and Kyle Landry each led the Lumberjacks (1-1) with 17 points. Landry also grabbed eight rebounds as Northern Arizona outrebounded the Wildcats 39-31.
Arizona held a 41-30 lead at the half, but the Lumberjacks refused to fade away. After the Wildcats took a 66-50 advantage with 9:16 to go, Northern Arizona went on a 13-0 spurt to close the gap to three points. Four freethrows by Budinger and shots by McClellan and Jordan Hill down the stretch secured Arizona's victory.
