1/29/2009

TUCSON--Arizona built a 16-point second-half lead and then hung on by going to the line for a parade of free throws that added up to 34 points from the stripe in just the period to beat No. 23 Washington Thursday night in McKale Center, 106-97.

The shootout was paced by four Wildcats in double figures led by Nic Wise with a career-high 29, Chase Budinger with 25, Jordan Hill with 18 and Kyle Fogg with a career-high 16 points. They overcame UW's quarter of Jon Brockman with 27, Justin Dentmon with 23, 15 from Isaiah Thomas and 11 from Elston Turner.

Wise hit all 14 of his shots from the line, 12 in the second half, while Budinger knocked down eight of 11. Fogg hit his seven throws and Fendi Onobun helped with three of four.

The Cats 41 made free throws and 51 attempts were both McKale Center records. The facility opened for the 1973 season.

Arizona improved to 13-8 overall and 3-5 in Pac-10 play, dropping the first-place Huskies to 16-5 and 6-2.

The 106 points were the most scored by UA since a 102-87 victory over New Mexico State on Nov. 19, 2006, and 106-81 over ASU March 7, 2004. The Huskies' 97 were the most points scored by an opponent eince the Huskies put up 95 in losing to UA in double overtime Dec. 31, 2005, 96-95. USC beat UA 99-90, at Los Angeles in Jan. 15, 2004.

The Cats didn't score a field goal from the 10:43 mark until the 3:38 mark, making 15 consecutive points at the line, which didn't help maintain the big cushion. Jordan Hill broke the string with a layup to give UA an 11-point lead, 86-75 at that point.

Hill, who had committed his fourth foul six minutes into the half, returned with seven minutes left and UA up by 11, and UW went right at him, taking it inside whenever possible, building a run to put the crowd on edge.

Hill fouled out with 3:23 left, after turning it over and allowing UW's Jon Brockman to work an inside move to cut the lead to eight. He finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.

A minute later, UW cut the lead to six, 89-83, with a three from Justin Dentmon, and a minute after that a UA turnover by Kyle Fogg led to a layup by Venoy Overton to make it Arizona 91, UW 87, with just under two minutes left.

Zane Johnson's three-pointer with 1:41 left, the first field goal since Hill's, gave Arizona some breathing room, 94-88. UW's Brockman missed two free throws a few moments later to help the Cats' cause.

Brockman notched his 10th double-double of the year, and helped keep Hill from acquiring his 14t.

Arizona shot 52 percent from the field, and needed it to overcome 10 made three-pointers by the Huskies, who hit at a 46 percent rate. The Cats hit nine from beyond the stripe led by three each from Wise and Budinger.

Arizona opened the second half with good shooting to fuel an eight-minute 25-15 run and give it a nine-point lead, 62-53, causing Washington coach Lorenzo Romar to call timeout at the 12:46 mark. Wise keyed the spurt with two threes and a layup, while Kyle Fogg put in five points. UA had to overcome a fourth foul called against Jordan Hill at the 14:40 mark, which put him on the bench.

Budinger drove the lane a short while later to make it more emphatic and give UA a double-digut lead, and then Fogg drove for a leaner to make for a 10-0 splurge in a two-minute span and put Arizona up, 66-53, with 11:18 left.

Jamelle Horne hit an uncontested three to make it a 13-0 spurt after a timeout and put UA up by 16.

UW's Jon Brockman finally got the Huskies in the scoring column at the 10-minute mark with Arizona leading, 69-55. Washington chipped away in the next four minutes, cutting the lead to eight, 79-71, at the 6:01 mark, with Justin Dentmon leading the way with eight points in the span.

The Huskies led by one at the half, 38-37, with three lead changes and three ties in the first period.

UA hit its first two shots, a jumper by Nic Wise and a three-pointer from Budinger, to take a 5-0 lead.

The Cats stopped UW on the next possession and Kyle Fogg followed a Budinger miss with a put-back for a 7-0 start.

Meantime, the Huskies missed their first six shots, but Jon Brockman was fouled on a try and made both free throws to stop the drought three and a half minutes into the game. But after the first media timeout, Wise got a steal and fed Budinger for a layup and a 10-2 lead.

UW made five of its next seven shots in a 10-4 run to climb back. Brockman worked himself inside for an easy bucket to give UW its first field goal at the 15-minute mark, but Hill put back an offensive rebound at UA's end to keep the lead at eight, 12-4.

Consecutive baskets trimmed the lead to four, and then Hill got in the action on the offensive glass again for his seventh board and a short jumper to make it 14-8 with seven minutes gone. The Huskies answered with a second-chance goal, and another moments later, and UA's lead was one, 14-13, at the second media timeout.

Washington took its first lead on a three-pointer by Justin Dentmon, 16-14, at the 11:38 mark. Hill fought a double team inside to tie moments later. After a UW turnover, he made another inside move to regain the lead for UA, 18-16. UW answered with a Dentmon three to take it back.

Elston Turner made a pair of threes in the next minute to give UW a 25-21 lead at the 7:53 media timeout. And then Brockman drove the lane to put the Huskies up by six. Wise made a pair of three throws to keep it close.

Darnell Gant dunked a UW miss to push it back to six, but Budinger made a three throw and Wise hit a three to cut it to two, 29-27, by the six-minute mark. After a Isaiah Thomas' drive for UW, and a Hill layup, Budinger worked inside, was fouled, to tie the game at 31.

In the next two minues, a Brockman dunk and a breakaway layup by Venoy Overton pushed UW to a four-point lead. Alex Jacobsen hit a jumper for UA, but the Huskies raced downcourt and Brockman got another in-close hoop. Jamelle Horne missed a fastbreak short jumper for UA and UW got a free throw Matthew Bryan-Amaing to make it 38-33.

But Budinger picked up a loose ball for a put-in to cut it to three and after a Brockman miss Arizona worked it for a last shot, a driving, lefty hook by Fendi Obobun to complete the first-half scoring with a second left.