Arizona's Rawle Alkins must have a thing for New Mexico.

In his second game back from a foot injury -- and his first start of the season -- Alkins scored a career-high 26 points to lead No. 23 Arizona past New Mexico 89-73 on Saturday night in Albuquerque, N.M.

Against New Mexico last season he picked up the first double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) of his career in another win.

"Do you think we are a better team with him?" Arizona coach Sean Miller joked on his postgame radio show. "If we didn't have him I don't know what the score would have been. It wouldn't have been, I'll tell you that. He was the best player on the court for big stretches."

Other than a couple turnovers, Miller said, Alkins was "very efficient." He went 9-for-11 from the floor, 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.

"This (was) his type of game," Miller said. "You put him in an open court and make him make decisions, you kind of play into his hands."

It was the Wildcats' first game in Albuquerque since 1999, when former coach Lute Olson declared he'd never play the Lobos again after a controversial 79-78 loss.

The teams played like rivals should in the second half as New Mexico, down 49-33 at the half, rallied to make it a game.

The Lobos (3-8) attempted to slow down Arizona (8-3) with a full-court press and a 2-3 zone, but neither worked for most of the first half. The second half, however, was a different story. New Mexico closed within 11 at 57-46 on a Dane Kuiper 3-pointer with 15:36 left.

"We didn't finish as much (as in the first half)," Miller said after the teams scored 40 apiece in the second half. "We took what the defense gave us. Rawle and Allonzo (Trier) combined for nearly 50 points (48) and a lot of that was in the open court. When you take that many guys and put them on our big guy (7-footer Deandre Ayton), that opens things up for those two. And they did a good job."

New Mexico cut the deficit to 74-64 with just under seven minutes left on Kuiper's 3-pointer and drew within 76-69 with 5:05 left on another 3 by Kuiper, who scored a career-high 24 points and made six from long range.

"I thought Dane just had great looks at the rim tonight," New Mexico coach Paul Weir said. "A lot of it, you have to credit his teammates who were really able to set it up, move the ball, get it inside-out, dribble penetration and kick-outs. And Dane had some great looks at the rim and that's what hopefully he's going to be able to continue to do for us."

Trier and Ayton took over late. Trier hit a layup to make it 80-71 and Ayton got loose for a dunk to make it 82-71 with 2:53 left.

Trier finished with 22 points and Ayton had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Arizona jumped out to a comfortable lead in the first half at 26-16 behind some of its best offense of the season. The Wildcats shot 70.8 percent in the first half.

Arizona was up as many as 18 before settling for a 49-33 lead at the break. The Wildcats were 6 of 7 from 3-point range in the first period.

"Our defense was awful. I don't want to pretend it wasn't," Weir said. "But you do have to give Arizona some credit. They shot the heck out of the basketball tonight. I know those guys are skilled enough to shoot threes but, man, they were special. They showed how good a team they are."

Alkins hit his first four shots, including going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. Ayton dominated near -- and far -- from the basket in the half as well. He hit his first five of six shots, finishing with 10 points in the half.

NOTES: Arizona is without freshman reserve G Alex Barcello, who suffered an ankle injury this week ... Wildcats coach Sean Miller has won 12 of his last 13 games versus Mountain West Conference teams after losing his first three such contests as the Wildcats' coach. ... F Deandre Ayton was one of four players in the nation to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 60.0 percent or better from the floor entering the game. He led the nation with nine defensive rebounds per game. ... New Mexico senior G Sam Logwood, who left the team more than a week ago, was back and started. ... Arizona is the first ranked team the Lobos have faced this season ... New Mexico F Dane Kuiper, who attended high school in Arizona, turned 21 Saturday.