After a tough trip to Southern California last weekend, the Wildcats were reminded of one thing Thursday night: It’s good to be home.
Three weeks removed from their last game in McKale Center, the No. 18 Arizona Wildcats dominated the Washington Huskies 99-67 for a convincing Pac-12 Conference victory and their 48th straight home win.
Ryan Anderson lead all scorers with 21 points and added nine rebounds for a Wildcat team that saw five players reach double-digits in scoring. Kaleb Tarczewski added 16 points and 13 rebounds and Mark Tollefsen scored 11 in place of the injured Allonzo Trier.
“Coaches just told after the last game that everyone has a bad game,” Anderson said. “[They told me] get back to what you do best, play hard and try to rebound the ball. My teammates found me early and energy is contagious. Once we got off to that start, I think at halftime we really found ourselves defensively.”
After Washington took a 39-36 lead late in the first half, Arizona outscored the Huskies 28-8 to take a 64-47 lead with 11:55 to go. Overall, Arizona outscored Washington 55-26 in the second half.
The Wildcats played smooth basketball coming out of halftime, going on a 12-4 run to start. After leading by only three points at halftime, Arizona found its largest lead at 35 late in the second half after getting a three from Dusan Ristic and two dunks from Chance Comanche.
“Tonight was a real test. Now we‘re down again another player,” head coach Sean Miller said. “Once we left halftime, our defense went to another level. Our offense was really good in both halves. When we get out in transition off of misses, we’re a harder team to defend.”
Washington’s Andrew Andrews came in as the leading scorer in the Pac-12, averaging 21.6 points per game. Kadeem Allen and Parker Jackson-Cartwright hounded Andrews all night, forcing him to 3-for-11 shooting with three turnovers. Andrews finished the night with nine points and eight assists.
Noah Dickerson led the Huskies with 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Jackson-Cartwright also led the game with 11 assists. Arizona as a unit outrebounded the Huskies 43-28.
“We got a lot of defensive rebounds and I think [Jackson-Cartwright] is at his best when he is pushing the ball,” Miller said. “We pushed the ball a lot in that segment, and when [Parker] is in the open court he really looks to pass, push it and play with confidence.”
After both teams shot 52 percent from the field in the first half, they went in different directions from there on. Arizona shot 70 percent from the field and 78 percent from beyond the arc in the second half, while Washington shot the ball 30 percent from the field and 16 percent from deep.
Arizona’s defense has come into question this season, especially after back-to-back losses last weekend. Tonight, the Wildcats forced the Huskies into 15 turnovers. The Wildcats allowed the Huskies to score just 15 points in the paint.
“It’s amazing how many easy baskets you get off of your defense,” Miller said. “In the second half, I would have to say 20 of our 55 came off of a great defensive stop, and we did a great job of sharing the ball.”
Arizona did a better job of getting to the line tonight, shooting 20-for-28 compared to Washington’s 7-for-11 at the charity stripe.
The Wildcats will take on the Washington State Cougars Saturday at 7:30 p.m., in McKale Center. Pac-12 Networks will have the coverage.
