After hitting three 3-point baskets in the final three minutes against Cal including the game-winner, Gabe York’s final week in McKale Center was off to an impressive start.
On Saturday afternoon, he capped his regular season and McKale career with another stellar performance.
York finished the game with a career-high 32 points, tying the school record of three pointers made in a game with nine as the Wildcats defeated the Stanford Cardinal 94-62.
“It’s been a long journey, so the fact that it got to end like this, I can’t ask for anything better,” York said. “It’s something kids dream about. For me, going through what I went through freshman year and sticking it out, it couldn’t have ended it any better.”
Once he was subbed out of the game for the final time, York kissed the block “A” at midcourt, giving fans a chance to reminisce about T.J. McConnell.
Ryan Anderson added 14 points and 12 rebounds and Kaleb Tarczewski scored 13 and grabbed nine boards as the Wildcat seniors accounted for 71 of the teams total 94 points. Walk-on Jacob Hazzard also scored a career-high with nine and Mark Tollefsen added three.
“Today was a crazy day,” Anderson said. “I don’t think I could have drawn up a better way for me to go out. It’s just awesome to have my journey end like this but I think we have a lot left going and I think that’s what is most exciting to see what these next couple of weeks have for us.”
With this win, Tarczewski finished his career as the all-time wins leader at Arizona.
Arizona dominated the Cardinal on both sides of the ball. The Wildcats shot 49 percent from the field, while holding Stanford to 38 percent. Arizona shot 18-36 from three and out-rebounded Stanford 37-27.
After scoring 13 in the first half, York blew up in the second, knocking down five 3-pointers in the first seven minutes of the half including three straight. He finished with 88 threes on the season, the fifth highest in Arizona history.
“It was everything and more,” York said about holding his jersey up after the game. “You can’t describe a feeling like that. All the heartache and trials you had to go through, it was all worth it just for what’s been going on this senior year.”
The Wildcats finished the regular season at 24-7, and 12-6 in the Pac-12.
Marcus and Rosco Allen each had 16 for Stanford, which as a team shot 2-21 from the 3-point line.
Arizona led Stanford 40-24 at halftime, with York, Tarczewski, Anderson, and Tollefsen having accounted for 33 of those points. The Wildcats never let up on the Cardinal as they outscored them 52-38 in the second half.
“Watching Gabe York do what he did today, Kaleb Tarczewski becoming the most winningest player in program history, is a great way to end the season,” Arizona head coach Sean Miller said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a game where I watched the ball go in the way it did today.”
With the win, Arizona has earned a bye in next week’s Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas. The Wildcats will play their first game of the tournament next Thursday.
