TUCSON, Ariz. – The ceremonial beginning to the 2017-18 Arizona Basketball season began with a highlight-filled slam dunk competition, but the slam dunks didn't end with the contest. Both teams dunked their way through the Red-Blue Game as the Blue team used a scoring surge in the second half to earn the 55-37 victory over Red.

Deandre Ayton led all players in scoring and on the glass with 21 points and nine rebounds on an ultra-efficient 10 of 14 (.714) shooting night from the field. The 7-foot-1-inch freshman was backed on the Blue team by Allonzo Trier and his 15 points, three assists and one steal.  The Ayton-Trier duo combined to shoot 15 of 18 (.833) inside the arc.

Freshman Brandon Randolph, who won the Slam Dunk Competition, paced the Red team with 16 points, which included five-of-six shooting at the free throw line. Fellow freshman Ira Lee supported Randolph with nine points and six rebounds.

The night introduced Arizona's new players to the McKale Center environment where a sellout crowd of 14,644 fed off the energy. The atmosphere in the building was also a reminder to the returning players why Arizona is 123-13 inside McKale under head coach Sean Miller, and why it has led the Pac-12 Conference in attendance for 33 consecutive seasons.

The Wildcats will play a pair of exhibitions at home before the start of the regular season with the next game coming on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. versus Eastern New Mexico.