March 7, 2009
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Chase Budinger matched his season high with 28 points, Nic Wise added 27 and Arizona won its regular-season finale 101-87 over Stanford on Saturday night.
Budinger was 10-of-14 shooting and Wise 9-of-9 as the Wildcats shot season-best 70 percent (35-of-50) in a victory that kept alive their hopes for a 25th consecutive NCAA tournament berth. Jordan Hill had 20 points for the Wildcats (19-12, 9-9 Pac-10), who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Freshman Jeremy Green made 6-of-10 3-pointers en route to 22 points for Stanford (17-12, 6-12). Both the made 3s and the points were his collegiate bests. Lawrence Hill added 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Cardinal.
Wise also tied his career best with nine assists and Josh Fogg a career-best eight for Arizona, which plays Arizona State in the Pac-10 tournament next Thursday.
Stanford made a season-high 15 3-pointers in 33 attempts, but the Cardinal fell behind by 10 early and never could catch the Wildcats, who snapped a four-game losing streak.
The Wildcats shot 71 percent (20-for-28) in their highest-scoring first half of the season, taking a 50-39 lead at the break. Stanford shot 56 percent (15-for-27) in the half.
Arizona bolted to a 14-4 lead. Green kept Stanford close, sinking his first four 3-point attempts. Fendi Onobun, a senior who plays sparingly, scored inside to ignite a 7-0 spurt that gave the Wildcats their biggest lead of the half, 49-37, on Wise's driving layup with 1:06 left.
Budinger opened the second half with a 3, then after a turnover Wise drove for a layup and Arizona had its biggest lead at 55-39.
Stanford, though, took advantage of four Arizona turnovers to score the next 10, slicing the lead to 55-49 after Anthony Goods' 3-pointer with 15:42 to play. The Cardinal never got closer.
Budinger's driving layup capped a 6-0 spurt that boosted it to 61-49, and Stanford never got within single digits until the final 52 seconds.
An Arizona turnover and Goods' layup cut it to 93-85 with 51.7 seconds to go, and the Wildcats turned it over again. But Budinger blocked a shot and was fouled. He made both free throws with 37.5 seconds left to make it a 10-point game again.
NOTES
Tonight represented Arizona's first win over Stanford since Mar. 3, 2007, when the Wildcats posted an 85-80 victory at Maples Pavilion.
Lawrence Hill registered his second double-double of the year, totaling 21 points and 10 rebounds to go along with five assists in 37 minutes.
Jeremy Green established career-highs in points (22), field goals (8) and three-pointers (6). Not bad production for 23 minutes off the bench.
Stanford made a season-best 15 three-pointers, matching the school record for triples in a game.
Landry Fields (22 points) and Lawrence Hill (21 points) became the first Cardinal duo to score at least 20 points in a game since Nov. 20, 2007, when Lawrence Hill (25 points) and Robin Lopez (24 points) accomplished the feat.
Kenny Brown chipped in with nine points in 17 minutes, living up to his reputation as a producer in regular season finales. In the three regular season finales that Brown has appeared in during his career, he has averaged 13.3 points per game while shooting 18-33 (54.5 percent) and 11-21 (52.3 percent). He has no doubt been a key for the Cardinal down the stretch, scoring in double figures in three of the last four contests.
Stanford tallied 24 rebounds (12 offensive, 12 defensive).
Arizona became the first opponent to score 100 points against Stanford since USC recorded a 103-78 win back on Mar. 7, 2002.
Three Arizona players scored at least 20 points: Chase Budinger (28), Nic Wise (27) and Jordan Hill (20). Stanford had not allowed that type of offensive production since Feb. 2, 2002, when Arizona accomplished the feat with Channing Frye (22), Luke Walton (20) and Jason Gardner (20).
Stanford is now 4-8 on the road (1-7 in Pac-10 play).