Although Arizona’s season ended much earlier than many in Tucson had hoped, there were many nail-biting, exciting games. While the end result was disappointing, there were some moments that stood out this season.
5. Early season win versus Santa Clara
Santa Clara’s 44 points from Jared Brownridgewere not enough, as Arizona won a nail-biter in overtime at the DirecTV Wooden Legacy with a 75-73 win. Gabe York was clutch at the free-throw line, while Santa Clara turned it over and Arizona escaped an early season upset.
Related story: No. 11 Arizona survives and advances past Santa Clara in the DirecTV Wooden Legacy.
The veteran frontcourt led the charge with seniors Ryan Anderson and Kaleb Tarczewski combining for 29 points and 19 rebounds, while Mark Tollefsen added 13 off the bench.
4. Anderson leads Wildcats over Washington
In a back-and-forth match with the Huskies, Arizona capped off a dominant week with a game-sealing offensive rebound and free throws to win 77-72 .
After a 31-point outing against Washington State, Anderson put up 22 points and 15 rebounds and earned Pac-12 Player of the Week for his performances.
3. ASU road win
After tumbling in Tempe the previous two years, Arizona got its revenge in a 94-82 victory over ASU. The second involved a barrage of York 3-pointers and a Bobby Hurley suit spike for some reason, which led to his rejection.
Revel in the rivalry: Gabe York and Allonzo Trier lead Wildcats over rival ASU and Bobby Hurley.
ASU’s “Curtain of Distraction” was not enough to compensate for its team as the Wildcats showed who the powerhouse in Arizona was.
2. Second half surge versus Gonzaga
Like last year’s overtime thriller in McKale Center, Arizona clawed out a tough 68-63 win over Gonzaga after trailing a good portion of the game. After falling behind by double-digits in the first half, the Wildcats stormed back with York and Allonzo Trier leading the charge.
Relive the moment: Wildcats could ignite spark after statement victory over Gonzaga.
Cardiac Cats at it again with statement win over Bull Dogs.
York scored 14 points in the second half while Trier was relentless to the basket for his 14 points. Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis combined to score 51 points for Gonzaga, but the Wildcats held their teammates to only 12 points and forced 16 points for the win.
1. Gabe York’s 3-pointer versus California
After falling to Cal 74-73 in Berkeley, California, another heartbreaking loss to the Golden Bears seemed inevitable until York stepped up in crunch time. The Wildcats defeated Cal 64-61 with an 11-0 run to take down the Bears.
York hit two 3-pointers in the last minute, including the game-winner with 19 seconds remaining to avenge their loss to Cal earlier this season.
With the 2016 season coming to a close for Arizona, it was another year where that the team lived up to the nickname Cardiac Cats.
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