The University of Arizona men’s basketball team improved to 17-0 as they defeated their rivals ASU, 89-82 (10-8, 1-4 in Big 12) in a close match on Wednesday, Jan. 14, in McKale Center. This victory continued the Wildcats’ undefeated streak, but it was even sweeter because it was against their rivals.
Key players
The Wildcats were led by another great scoring performance from Koa Peat, as he scored 24 points in the game overall. He collected 16 points in the second half alone, along with 10 rebounds and three assists. Tobe Awaka also had a great night, getting a career high of 25 points and five rebounds.
ASU had some standout performances as well. As they kept the game close, there were dominant players who showed how much fight they had. Senior guard Maurice Odum ended the night with 23 points, seven assists and one rebound.
So how did we end up with our final score? And what were the key moments in the game? The game immediately started off chippy, with both teams being very physical before and after the whistle. Arizona freshman guard Brayden Burries and ASU’s grad student forward Allen Mukeba received double technical fouls. In the first half, the Wildcats went back into the locker room down by 1 point. They weren’t causing as many turnovers as ASU, having turned the ball over just once. They were also shooting significantly more 3-pointers, as ASU made four 3-pointers in the half, including one by junior guard Bryce Ford with about 30 seconds remaining until halftime. With the first half looking like it was going to be close throughout, the Wildcats were going to have to fight for this one until the very end.
The second half remained more of the same, as both teams were going back and forth, turning over the ball frequently. No matter what Arizona tried to do, ASU wouldn’t go away, including hitting a 3-pointer with 56 seconds left to cut the lead to 3 points. Senior guard Jaden Bradley hit a mid-range jumper with 27 seconds left in the game, followed by a pair of free throws from Awaka that finally gave Arizona the win.
Arizona once again showed its composure in a tense rivalry matchup, relying on timely plays and balanced contributions to close out the win. Despite ASU’s late push, the Wildcats executed another victory to remain unbeaten at 17-0. More than just a rivalry victory, the win highlighted Arizona’s resilience and ability to win tough Big 12 battles.
“I mean, I think it helps us a lot, you know, to get a gritty win like that against a really good team, a really well-coached team. You know, it’s not going to always be easy, so to have a game like that, I think that’s really going to help us come along,” Peat said post-game, regarding how this win helped Arizona in the Big 12.
Looking forward
The Wildcats will head on the road to face the University of Central Florida in the Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 4 p.m. The game will be available on ESPN for Wildcat fans to watch at home.
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