In the scheme of things, the No. 21 Arizona men’s basketball team’s win against Stanford wasn’t the only significant game in the Pacific 10 Conference last night. Within minutes of the Wildcat’s victory, the Washington Huskies, who were also 7-2 in the conference, fell to the lowly Oregon State Beavers.
Moving to 19-4 on the year, the Wildcats took sole possession of the Pac-10 to begin the second half of the conference schedule with a 78-69 win at Maples Pavilion.
Looking to keep ahead of the curve, here’s what the Wildcats need to do to sweep the Northern California schools and remain the sole team in the league with only two conference losses.
Inside and outside
Arizona scored its first three buckets off drives en route to 34 points in the paint to Stanford’s 30.
Derrick Williams led the charge, scoring 21 points and grabbing eight rebounds by the game’s end while shooting 8-for-14 from the field. That all came despite a reluctance to put his hand in too much danger, pulling back his shots after being fouled, and consciously using his left hand on drives to the basket.
Still, Williams was effective before fouling out, throwing in a difficult And-1 bank shot with his left hand in the first half and scoring an easy bucket to put the Cardinal away with minutes remaining.
He was aided by point guard Momo Jones, who, along with Williams, might have cemented himself as a team leader. Despite ugly early play, he scored 15 points, including hitting shots down the stretch that put Stanford away.
On the perimeter, the Wildcats made it rain like the Koffler water pipes Thursday, going and efficient 5-for-12 from the 3-point line for the game.
They went cold in the second half, missing all five attempts, but their final percentage lies around their season average, and they continued the trend of hassling opponents in their own 3-point shooting, holding Stanford to a lowly 6-for-25 from long range.
Winning the turning points
Each time the young Cardinal team climbed back into the game, Arizona responded to remain a step ahead.
Without relinquishing its advantage, Arizona led by as many as nine points in the first half. The Cardinal fought back to tie the game at 33 before two 3-pointers by guard Kyle Fogg and forward Jesse Perry gave the Wildcats a 39-33 lead at halftime.
And to begin the second, Stanford made another run, taking a 41-39 lead as Arizona got sloppy. The Cardinal would hold the lead, its only lead the entire game, for only 2:17 minutes.
Then, forward Kevin Parrom found Perry for an And-1 which tied the game at 45. Jones drove for a layup to take the lead and then stole an inbounds and hit two free throws with 12 minutes to go.
Stanford wouldn’t let Arizona pull away, tying the game against at 58. Arizona pulled away from that point forward, taking control down the stretch.
X-factor: Kevin Parrom
The reserve forward came in with energy, grabbing offensive rebounds and turning those into points.
Parrom controlled the paint with his passing, tabbing four assists while dishing to Perry and Williams for easy baskets. He also scored seven and grabbed three rebounds, all of which were offensive.
He and Perry, who scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds himself, made up for a hindered — if you could call it that — Williams.
