2/2/2013

No. 8 Arizona Takes Down WSU 79-65

Solomon Hill added 18 points for Arizona (19-2, 7-2 Pac-12)

Solomon Hill connected on 6-of-10 three-point field goals on the way to 18 points in Saturday's win.

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) - With Mark Lyons in foul trouble and Kevin Parrom ejected from the game, No. 8 Arizona was ripe for an upset.

Nobody told Solomon Hill.

Hill scored 18 points in the first half as Arizona beat Washington State 79-65 on Saturday, the Wildcats' fifth consecutive win over the Cougars. Hill made six of eight 3-pointers in the first half as Arizona built a lead it never lost.

"I hit my first two shots and every time I shot I thought I was going to make it," Hill said. "So when I got space, I let it go. Even when I missed, it felt good."

Lyons, who had three fouls in the first half, led Arizona with 20 points. Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski added 10 each for Arizona (19-2, 7-2 Pac-12), which swept the Washington schools on the road.

Brock Motum and DaVonte Lacy each scored 15 points to lead Washington State (11-11, 2-7), which has lost four of its past five games. D.J. Shelton added 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Mike Ladd, WSU's second best offensive weapon, picked up his second foul three minutes into the game and went to the bench. Arizona responded with an 11-2 run for an 18-9 lead.

"That really hurt us in the first half," Washington State coach Ken Bone said of Ladd.

Arizona's Kevin Parrom was ejected from the game with 10:42 left in the first for a flagrant foul, after throwing an elbow at Lacy.

Arizona coach Sean Miller said he was very disappointed in Parrom. But he needed to watch film of the foul before deciding on discipline for the player.

"If in fact he committed the foul, he embarrassed himself, our basketball program and his family," Miller said. "Kevin is a senior and he knows better."

Ten seconds after Parrom was ejected, Ladd was called for an intentional foul and Arizona cashed that in for two free throws by Ashley. When they received the ensuing possession, Hill nailed his third 3-pointer of the game for a 26-12 Arizona lead.

Motum's basket brought WSU within 26-18. Then, Hill hit his fourth and fifth 3-pointers of the first half as Arizona went on an 11-2 run for a 37-20 lead.

Washington State cut Arizona's lead to 11 points with a pair of 3-pointers. But Hill launched a buzzer beater from half court and it banked in for a 40-26 Arizona lead at halftime.

Arizona shot just 43 percent in the first half, but Washington State made just eight of 22 (36 percent) shots in the first half, and also had eight turnovers.

Washington State found its shooting touch early in the second half, but Ashley made three quick baskets to keep Arizona ahead 50-36. Then WSU went cold from the floor again and Arizona pulled away to a 57-38 lead with 11:54 left.

Washington State wasn't done. Motum's basket launched an 11-3 WSU run that brought the Cougars within 60-49. Shelton's 3-pointer cut the Arizona lead to 10 at 64-54 with 4 minutes left.

But Lyons sank a 3-pointer and a layup as Arizona pulled to a 71-56 lead, and Washington State was done.

"It was a good win, but it was not a good defensive performance," Lyons said. "It wasn't the amount of points they scored, it was how they scored.

"They scored too easily off pick-and-rolls, and we were worried too much about Motum and not the other players."

But Miller was less critical.

"To be able to move forward and get a win says a lot about our team," Miller said. "It says a lot about Solomon Hill. I believe he is one of the best players in college basketball."

Hill attempted just two shots in the second half, missing both, as Washington State switched its focus to him.

"We paid a lot more attention to him," Bone said.

Arizona leads the series 56-16. Meanwhile, Washington State has lost to all four ranked opponents it has played this season.