Arizona rebounds with convincing win over Washington

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[February 14, 2015]  SEATTLE -- Freshman forward Stanley Johnson admitted it was a long week for the Arizona men's basketball team, having to chew on a seven-point loss at Arizona State last Saturday.

"A long week, a long day, a long practice," he said. "Everything's long when you lose."

Johnson and the seventh-ranked Wildcats made it worth the wait with a convincing, 86-62 win over Washington on Friday night.

Johnson had 20 points and eight rebounds, point guard T.J. McConnell posted a double-double and the Arizona bounced back from its first loss in almost a month in impressive fashion.

"We just didn't have it against Arizona State," McConnell said after scoring 10 points and matching his season high with 10 assists. "We found it tonight."

McConnell recorded his first double-double since transferring from Duquesne before the 2012-13 season, while Johnson hit the 20-point mark for the second time this season.

Arizona forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 17 points, most of which came on dunks, and had a team-high nine rebounds.

The Wildcats (21-3, 9-2) moved into a tie with Utah atop the Pac-12 standings.

Washington guard Andrew Andrews also had a double-double, his first of the season, with team highs of 18 points and nine rebounds.

The Huskies shot 35 percent from the field (19 of 54).

"They did a good job and kept us out of transition," Andrews said. "And once we got into half-court, they're a tremendous half-court team."

Andrews hit back-to-back 3-pointers to pull Washington within 11 points at 65-54 with 8:16 remaining in the game, but that's as close as the Huskies would come.

Arizona took control early on the way to a 43-24 halftime lead.

The Wildcats used a 25-4 spurt, at one point hitting nine consecutive shots from the field, to open a 31-11 lead with 7:53 remaining in the half. Hollis-Jefferson's alley-oop dunk on a pass from McConnell started the run with 14:20 remaining in the half.

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Seven-foot center Kaleb Tarczewski added dunks on back-to-back possessions as Arizona opened a 20-point lead against the cold-shooting Huskies.

Hollis-Jefferson had a chance at another highlight dunk with six minutes left in the first half but slipped and lost his footing on the way to an uncontested run at the basket. Hollis-Jefferson's feet came out from under him and he lost control of the ball before landing on his back, but he was able to stay in the game.

"I think the sniper in the 10th row got him," McConnell cracked. "He's a pretty good shot."

Washington made just 9 of 29 shots from the field in the opening 20 minutes and missed nine straight during a drought that spanned 6 1/2 minutes.

Arizona made 18 of 32 shots from the field and 4 of 8 from 3-point range in the first half. McConnell had eight points and eight assists in the opening 20 minutes.

NOTES: Washington entered the game on a six-game losing streak and the Wildcats had won six of their past seven. ... Washington F Shawn Kemp Jr. led all scorers with 11 first-half points. Freshman F Stanley Johnson had a team-high 10 points for Arizona.

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