No. 7 Arizona Upsets No. 3 UCLA as Wildcats Exact Revenge Against Bruins
No. 7 Arizona avenged its Jan. 25 loss to No. 3 UCLA, this time emerging with a 76-66 victory at the McKale Center.
Kerr Kriisa led all scorers with 16 points Thursday to help the Wildcats (18-2) earn an important Pac-12 win, improving to 12-0 at home this season.
Defense was on display early for Arizona as the squad built a 42-30 lead at halftime:
The home team led by as much as 17 in the first half before the Bruins made it respectable at intermission.
It was a closer battle in the second half with UCLA quickly getting within single digits. The Wildcats cooled offensively before a 7-0 Bruins run cut the margin to three with under four minutes remaining.
Arizona found a way to stay in front, however, with Kriisa hitting a clutch three to put the game away:
It led to the first true road loss of the year for UCLA (16-3) with leading scorer Johnny Juzang held to just 12 points.
Notable Performances
Kerr Kriisa, G, ARI: 16 points, 5 assists
Bennedict Mathurin, G, ARI: 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals
Dalen Terry, G, ARI: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 turnover
Johnny Juzang, G, UCLA: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
Jaime Jacquez, F, UCLA: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
Jules Bernard, G, UCLA: 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals
Arizona Moves to Top of Pac-12 Standings Behind Balanced Attack
When Bennedict Mathurin was just one of five players in double figures, you know Arizona had a good night offensively.
The best thing Arizona had going for it early was the pace, getting open looks early in the shot clock to run up the score in the first half.
Mathurin had only six points at halftime, but the team scored 42 thanks to the quick movement getting everyone involved.
The pace slowed in the second half, but the team still got production from a lot of different sources. At different times there were several players who were seemingly the difference-maker for Arizona:
Dalen Terry was especially impressive, playing solid defense on Johnny Juzang while filling up the stat sheet offensively.
In addition to the five players in double figures, Oumar Ballo and Christian Koloko played important roles in the low post with seven combined blocks.
It was a complete performance from a team that can beat anyone in the country when it plays at this level.
Poor Shooting Dooms UCLA
In the first meeting between these teams, Arizona struggled offensively with just a 30.7 shooting percentage and 25 percent mark from three-point range.
This time, it was UCLA that couldn't get anything to fall.
The Bruins were just 1-of-9 from three in the first half while facing an early deficit:
The squad finished just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc and 38.9 percent from the field.
When the shots were falling, it usually required great individual effort.
UCLA finished with 12 assists on 28 made field goals, much worse than Arizona's 18 assists on 24 makes.
With the Bruins also struggling at the free-throw line (7-of-12), a key road win was simply out of reach.
What's Next?
The schedule remains difficult for Arizona, which will host No. 19 USC on Saturday. UCLA will continue its road trip with a game against Arizona State on Saturday.
