12/8/1987

UA overcomes left lethargy to defeat NAU

Wildcats set their sights on key game against Iowa

By Jay Gonzales
The Arizona Daily Star

In the distance, the third-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes loomed like a premier of a major motion picture.

But first, the University of Arizona had to set through a word from its sponsor — a 77-59 non-conference basketball victory over Northern Arizona University before a sellout crowd at McKale Center last night.

The fourth-ranked Wildcats, 6-0, have now set the stage for Saturday’s game in the house that Luke built, 15,500-seat Carver-Hawkeye Arena that UA coach Lute Olson was instrumental in developing before he left the head coaching job there to come to Tucson in 1983.

The Hawkeyes are 5-0 this season. They rallied to defeat the Wildcats, 89-80, in Tucson last season.

“That will be an exciting college basketball game,” Olson said. “I don’t worry about the intensity level of our players for Saturday. It’s a big-time game in a big-time place. I expect big-time performances from all of them.”

But UA guard Steve Kerr said some of the intensity seem to be missing last night against NAU after the Wildcats built a 19 point lead in the first half.

“In the latter stages the first half and early in the second half, we got a little lackadaisical on defense,” said Kerr. “In the first few minutes of the second half, it showed. We were not playing real hard on defense.

“When that happens, it affects our offense. We tried to pick up the tempo, but when we finally did, it was not until they cut the lead to eight points. They really outhustled us.”

Some UA players pleaded guilty to looking ahead toward Saturday’s game in Iowa City.

“I think I did before the NAU game,” said UA forward Anthony Cook, whose 10 points made him one of four Wildcats who scored in double figures last night. “It’s kind of hard not to.”

“I think were already geared up for Iowa,” said sophomore Jud Buechler.

But Olson said his team did what it needed to do.

“It wasn’t pretty, but we accomplish what we wanted to accomplish for tonight,” Olson said. “We got almost as much time for (the reserves) as we did for the starters.”

Arizona opened a 17-point lead less than 11 minutes into the game, which allowed Olson to just about empty his bench in the first half.

Harvey Mason, the Wildcats fourth guard off the bench, went into the game with 12:53 left in the half and played 14 minutes altogether. Mason, a sophomore, scored eight points. Freshman Matt Muehlebach, the fifth guard, went in five minutes after Mason in the first half.

Three-point baskets by Craig McMillan and Kerr helped give Arizona the early lead, 13-4. NAU guard Mark Anderson, the game’s high scorer with 20 points, then hit the first of his two three-pointers of the half, after which the Wildcats went on an 11-0 run.

Kerr scored on a three-point basket, Cook had two baskets, and Buechler scored twice from outside for a 24-7 lead. About that time, Arizona also had an 11-1 edge in rebounding. Anderson stopped the Wildcats surge with his other three-point field goal.

Arizona lead, 29-10, at one point, and went to halftime with a 35-19 lead.

But NAU stormed back in the second half and trimmed the UA lead to eight points, with 13:02 left. Anderson hit on four three-point baskets during that seven-minute span. The last one cut the UA margin to 47-39.

“In the first 30 minutes, I thought we defended their half-court offense real well,” said NAU coach Jay Arnote. “When they scored on their transition, it was usually off turnovers or other opportunities we provided.

“The last 10 minutes they got the ball down low. I thought that was critical problem for us down the stretch.”

Arizona came back with an 11-4 run that opened a 15-point lead with 8 ½ minutes to play. The Lumberjacks were no closer than 13 points for the remainder of the game.

Kerr said he didn’t think he or his teammates overlook the Lumberjacks, but rather they relaxed once they built a comfortable lead in the first half.

“Maybe we took them a little lightly,” he said. “It wasn’t a case of overlooking them. It was a case of not putting forth the effort we needed.”

But no barriers remain between now and the awaited match between two of the top four teams in the country. The game is set for 6 p.m. Tucson time.

“We got the win. We were not happy with our performance, but now we can really look toward Saturday,” said UA center Tom Tolbert. “We’ve got to start thinking Iowa now. I want them bad.”