Eddy Meola
The game was much closer than the final score suggests, but Arizona closed with force for the second straight time. The Wildcats overcame poor shooting from the floor and free throw line to beat Stanford 56-43. Arizona’s suffocating defense was the key to victory. Not only did the Wildcat’s defense make it exceedingly difficult for the Cardinal to score, but it also led to opportunities on the offensive end.
Four Arizona plays reach double-figures, led by Kyle Fogg’s 14 points. Jesse Perry scored eleven points while Solomon Hill and Nick Johnson added 10 points apiece.
Neither team led by more than three points during the first 13 minutes of the second half. The only significant momentum shift was when Hill picked up his fourth personal foul with 12 minutes left in the game. Sean Miller briefly pulled Hill, but Arizona’s offense became so stagnant that Miller re-inserted him two minutes later.
Both offenses continued to struggle until Arizona went on a 10-0 run—capped by a Brendon Lavender three-pointer—to take a 45-37 lead with five minutes left. A minute later, the Wildcats had a chance to go up by 10, but a cutting Angelo Chol traveled as he bobbled a perfect pass from Turner. Stanford scored two easy lay-ups sandwiched around a clutch shot by Hill to pull within 47-41 with two minutes left.
Arizona responded to the Stanford threat emphatically. The Wildcats stole the ball on back-to-back possessions, leading to a Johnson dunk and then two free throws by Fogg. Stanford did not score again, and Johnson added another late dunk for the final margin. The Wildcats dominated the final minute of play for the second time in three days to pick up the important road sweep.
In the first half, Arizona’s interior defense was solid. Chol played heavy minutes at center and was a force in the paint. He blocked two shots and altered others as Stanford repeatedly attacked the hoop to no avail. Arizona went on a 13-3 run from the 18-minute mark to the 9:15 mark to take a 13-8 lead. The Cardinal was only able to stop Chol by forcing two early fouls, which caused Miller to relegate him to the bench for a stretch.
Arizona extended its lead to 20-12 before Stanford finally responded with an 11-3 run to tie the game at 23 with 1:30 remaining. The Wildcats ended up going into the break with a 24-23 lead but with few good vibes. Missed free throws, foul trouble, and a late Stanford run took the momentum away from Arizona. As a team, the Wildcats made 3/7 free throws and Hill picked up his third personal foul in the final minute.
Hill led Arizona at the break with six points and six rebounds while Fogg also scored six. Arizona’s defense was the team’s bright spot, as the Wildcats held the Cardinal to just 28% shooting in the first half.
At the break, Miller lamented his team’s free throw woes, commenting, “When you get to the line you need to convert…when you miss free throws on the road it puts a lot of pressure on the team.”
Apparently the Wildcats relished the pressure, because they continued to miss free throws in the second half, finishing 15/25 overall. Still, Coach Miller—and all of Wildcat nation—has to be happy with a double-digit victory on the road in a game where Arizona misses 10 free throws.
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