National Basketball Association
Arizona 71, Washington 62
When: 2:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 4, 2014
Where: McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona
Officials:
# Eric Curry, # Gregory Nixon, # Gerry Pollard
Attendance:
14545
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 1 Arizona 71, Washington 62: Nick Johnson scored a career-high 24 points, including five dunks, as the host Wildcats rallied from a six-point second-half deficit to remain undefeated.
Freshman Aaron Gordon finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds for Arizona (15-0, 2-0 Pac-12), which should be No. 1 for a fifth consecutive week when the polls are released on Monday. It was the fifth double-double of the season for Gordon.
C.J. Wilcox led Washington (9-6, 1-1) with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists while Perris Blackwell added 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Huskies fell to 2-28 all-time when facing top-ranked teams.
Washington jumped out to an early five-point lead thanks to back-to-back baskets by Wilcox and didn't trail until Rondae Hollis-Jefferson capped an 8-2 run with a dunk to give the Wildcats a 16-15 lead. Arizona looked like it might pull away as it quickly extended its lead to six points, but the Huskies closed the half with a 12-4 run to take a 35-33 halftime lead as the Wildcats missed their final seven shots from the floor.
The Huskies extended their lead to 42-36 on a 3-point play by Nigel Williams-Goss early in the second half and led 52-51 with 10 minutes to go after a pair of free throws by Blackwell. But back-to-back dunks by Gordon and Johnson keyed a 9-3 run for the Wildcats over the next five minutes, and Washington was unable to regain the lead down the stretch.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Wilcox has scored at least 15 points in 18 consecutive games. ... The 15-0 start is the second best in school history for the Wildcats, trailing only a 16-0 start in 1931-32. ... Arizona trailed at halftime for the fifth time this season.
Top Game Performances
Washington |
|
Arizona |
C.J. Wilcox 20 |
Scoring |
Nick Johnson 24 |
Andrew Andrews 5 |
Assists |
T.J. McConnell 6 |
Perris Blackwell 12 |
Rebounds |
Aaron Gordon 11 |
Desmond Simmons 3 |
Free Throws Made |
Nick Johnson 7 |
Andrew Andrews 2 |
Steals |
T.J. McConnell 4 |
Shawn Kemp Jr. 1 |
Blocks |
Brandon Ashley 1 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
Washington
|
62 |
41.7 |
2-12 |
10-12 |
13 |
30 |
1 |
5 |
15 |
Arizona
|
71 |
42.1 |
2-9 |
21-26 |
15 |
34 |
4 |
10 |
11 |