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 Arizona (19-2, 7-1 Pac-12) swept the regular-season series, as
they prevailed 80-62 when the teams met in Eugene, Ore., on Jan. 8.
The Ducks (14-7, 4-4) saw their two-game winning streak end.
After Oregon used an 8-0 run to trim Arizona's lead to 56-46 with
13:06 to play, the Wildcats went on a 17-1 surge to quash the
comeback.
Wildcats junior guard Gabe York scored the first nine points of
outburst. York knocked down two 3-pointers and added a transition
three-point play to push the lead back to 19. He added a jumper late
in the sequence.
Thirteen of York's team-high 16 points came in the second half.
"Gabe was instrumental in that run, and that was good to see,"
Arizona coach Sean Miller said.
York is rounding into form after sustaining an ankle injury that
caused him to miss the Colorado game on Jan. 15 and limited him to
six minutes against Utah on Jan. 17.
Oregon took advantage of its four-guard lineup and opened the second
half by scoring eight of the first 10 points thanks to a pair of
3-pointers from guard Jalil Abdul-Bassit.
"In three or four consecutive possessions, they can make threes and
do things because they have four guards out there," said Miller, who
said the guard-heavy lineup spreads a defense out.
Arizona countered the smaller Oregon group by attacking the paint,
going on a 13-3 run with all 13 coming in the lane. Center Kaleb
Tarczewski started things off with a hook shot that led to a
three-point play, and forwards Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Stanley
Johnson got to the rim for the Wildcats' next three field goals.
"We got it down to a 10-point game in the second half, but a couple
turnovers really hurt us," Oregon coach Dana Altman said.
The Ducks shot just 38.1 percent in the second half, when they were
outscored 48-29. Altman lamented his team's inability to make shots.
"We had a couple of chances to get some good shots and to finish
plays, but were didn't make them," Altman said. "Elgin (Cook) helped
us in the first half, but we just continually broke down."
Wildcats forward Brandon Ashley scored 13 points, and Johnson
contributed 12 points, six rebounds and five assists. Tarczewski and
Hollis-Jefferson had 11 points apiece.
Arizona point guard T.J. McConnell hit all five of his field-goal
attempts en route to 10 points -- all in the first half. McConnell
added five assists and did not commit a turnover.
"When we take care of the ball and move the ball, good things
follow," Miller said.
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Cook paced Oregon with 16 points, but the forward scored just three
points in the second half. Guard Joseph Young had 12 points, and
forward Dillon Brooks finished with 11.
The Wildcats outrebounded the Ducks 34-20 and outshot them from the
floor, 59.3 percent to 40.4 percent. Arizona committed 10 turnovers,
but just one in the second half. Oregon gave the ball away 16 times.
Arizona's bench outscored Oregon's 33-13. In addition to York's 16,
center Dusan Ristic had nine on 3-of-3 shooting. Senior Matt
Korcheck capped the night with a breakaway dunk that ignited the
crowd one last time.
The Ducks jumped out to an 8-6 lead, but Hollis-Jefferson tied the
score with a jumper. McConnell followed with a layup that gave
Arizona the lead for good at 10-8.
Arizona surged at the end of the half, scoring the final six points
to take a 42-27 lead to the break. Hollis-Jefferson's dunk in the
final second pushed the margin to 15, the Wildcats' largest
advantage to that point.
NOTES: The Ducks wore bright green throwback jerseys with yellow
"Oregon" placed under the numbers. ... In an unusual scheduling
quirk, the Wildcats and Ducks met for the second time in less than
three weeks. ... NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton provided color
commentary for the Pac-12 Network, marking the third consecutive
game at the McKale Center that Walton handled the chores. He also
called one of the Wildcats' two games in the Bay Area. ... The Ducks
complete their Super Bowl week in the desert when they play at
Arizona State on Friday night. The Wildcats play host to Oregon
State on Friday night. ... Oregon fell to 0-3 on their opponents'
home court this season. The Ducks are 13-2 at home and 1-2 at
neutral sites, beating Illinois 77-70 in Chicago on Dec. 13.
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