Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats bounced back nicely from the opening night loss to UCLA, dominating the Cal Poly Mustangs, 104-84, on Thursday for their first win of the season.

Arizona was up 16-15 in the early going before a 27-7 run gave the Wildcats a 21 point lead, which they more or less maintained for the entire second half.

Motiejus Krivas led Arizona with a career-high 30 points, while Caleb Holt (21), Ivan Kharchenkov (16), and Cameron Holmes (13) joined him in double figures.

Below is a look at three takeaways from Arizona's breezy 20 point win over Cal Poly in the home opener:

Cameron Holmes thrived, the rest of the bench did not

Arizona's bench was practically non-existent against UCLA on Monday, and this game was a huge opportunity for them to step up.

Freshman Cameron Holmes did exactly that, scorching Cal Poly in the first half with 11 points on 5-6 shooting, one rebound, one assist, and one steal in 10 minutes. He was quiet but still effective in the second half, putting together his finest performance as a Wildcat between the exhibition games and Monday's opener.

Holmes was very active offensively, hunting his own shot, getting out in transition, and attacking the basket. It's clear he has the trust of the staff to go get a bucket, and it was great to see that early confidence from the 4-star forward.

The problem is the rest of the bench, once again, was pretty quiet. JJ Mandaquit was solid in 22 minutes, but only finished with two points, two assists, and two rebounds on 0-2 shooting. Meanwhile the team's trio of backup big men - Maxsim Brnovic, Ugnius Jarusevicius, and Evan Otten - didn't exactly shine in their first real look at extended playing time with the Wildcats, combining for just eight points in 33 minutes, while shooting 2-7 from the field.

Arizona did just fine with the starters, but it was another reminder how critical it would be to get RJ Godfrey back and starting at power forward for the Wildcats.

Career night for Mo Krivas

The preseason Big 12 Player of the Year hardly looked like himself in Monday's loss to UCLA. But the big man responded extremely well against the Mustangs, dominating down low to the tune of a career-high 30 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks. He shot a ridiculous 10-13 from the field and 10-12 from the line, dominating every minute he was on the floor.

There's no reason Krivas shouldn't touch the ball nearly every single time against an overmatched team like Cal Poly, and Arizona made sure to feed him as often as possible. He finished multiple dunks, snatched rebounds left and right, and kept a lid on the rim in the kind of performance that one would expect from an All-American big man - a great sign of things to come for the Wildcats.

The effort never let up

Arizona was embarrassed against UCLA on Monday, but one thing was very clear: there's no giving up with this squad.

Turns out, even in a blowout win, Arizona brings the energy for the full 40 minutes.

Multiple plays in the middle of the second half punctuated that, when Caleb Holt dove on the floor for a loose ball, and a few minutes later when Ivan Kharchenkov did the same, calling a timeout and firing up the home crowd.

It didn't matter that it was 83-56, with less than eight minutes to go, Arizona was not going to be out hustled - another great sign for coach Lloyd and his team. It wouldn't be unusual to see a team come out flat after a tough loss, especially against a weaker opponent, but the Wildcats played hard and physical all game long - no matter who was on the floor.

Arizona stays in Tucson for their next game, which is Tuesday, Nov. 10 against in-state opponent Northern Arizona. That game is set for 7:00 PM MST and will be broadcast on ESPN+.