12/3/1962

Badgers Blow Early Game Lead

Sophomore Johnson Paces Cage Upset

By ABE CHANIN
Star Sports Editor

Arizona’s sophomoric Wildcats scored a major national upset of the young basketba11 season last night toppling tenth-ranked Wisconsin 51-46 at Bear Down Gym.

The Wildcats, unranked and not strongly rated in their own conference, turned in a brilliant game of control basketball in scoring the Victory in their first meeting with the Big 10 Badgers.

Wisconsin, number two in the Big 10 last year and one of the pre-season favorites this Season, struck to an early lead but after the first five minutes, Arizona forged into a surprising lead that it never gave up until the final 14 minutes of the game.

Stopping the Wisconsin offense cold, the Wildcats drove to 31-28 lead at halftime. Earlier in the half, Arizona had held as much as a nine point lead.

Don Hearden, a six-foot Badger junior, hit on five straight field goals in a sizzling performance and Ken Siebel tied up the game 39-39 with a layup shot with 13:52 remaining in the game.

The lead see-sawed until Albert Johnson, Arizona’s sensational sophomore, hit on a driving layup and made it a three-pointer by dropping in a free throw after he was fouled. That put the score at 47—44.

Arizona did a sterling job of controlling the ball to force the pressing Badgers to commit fouls. Sophomore Buddy Doolen added two points on free throws and another sophomore Warren Rustand added two more free throws to close out the game.

Rustand was fouled in the final 19 seconds by Mike O'Melia.

In the final minutes, the crowd of 3524 came to its collective feet with roaring ovations that spurred the Wildcats to their sensational upset.

Wisconsin coach John Erickson, stunned by the defeat that left the Badgers at 1-1 for the season, said after the game; "Arizona has a wonderful team. They played a great game. They stopped our offense completely.”

And Bruce Larson, the young Arizona coach, who played as many as three sophomores in the lineup at a time was mobbed on the floor by his players and by Wildcat fans.

"It was a great effort," Larson said. "We had real good defense and we did good board work when we had to."

He was undoubtedly referring to the play of Johnson, a 6-5 Phoenician who jumps like, a seven-footer. Johnson topped all scorers with 19 points but perhaps his even greater contribution was tremendous control of the backboards. He cleared the boards time after time and several times blocked Wisconsin field goal attempts before the ball had reached the hoop.

For Wisconsin, Heardon and Jack Brens each scored 14 points. Brens got 12 in the first half, Hearden 10 in the second half.

The shooting of both teams was off. Neither was able to hit as much as 40 per cent throughout the game. And Wisconsin was as cold as their home state winters at the free throw lane. The Badgers made only 10 of 24 free throws while Arizona hit on 13 of 22.

The victory gave Arizona two-straight with the surprising Wildcats next meeting Arizona State College here Saturday night.

In the preliminary Arizona’s freshmen routed Kappa Sigma’s intramural champs 81-49. Harvey Fox scored 29 and Bob Spahn 16 for the Frosh. Bernie Overland had 11 for Kappa Sig.