Feb. 4, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Josh Owens took one look at the final stat sheet and shook his head. And he had the best shooting afternoon of the bunch.
Owens, Aaron Bright and Chasson Randle scored 10 points apiece in Stanford's 56-43 setback to Arizona on Saturday.
Owens was 4- 9 (44 percent) from the field for the Cardinal (16-7, 6-5 Pac-12), which has lost four of its last five since being in a tie for first place in the conference. The rest of the team was 12-54 (22 percent) for the contest.
"It was a tough one," Owens said. "We did a pretty good job on defense but on the offensive end we didn't knock down shots we should have."
Stanford struggled with its worst field-goal percentage of the season, 25.4 percent, and its lowest point total. Arizona wasn't much better, but the Wildcats made six of their final eight shots to pull away.
Owens hit a jumper with 9:12 remaining to play, giving the Cardinal a 37-35 advantage. The Cardinal missed their next nine shots and was 2 of 14 the rest of the way.
"They played good defense but we also had good looks and didn't finish the play," Stanford head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "We got the ball where we wanted it for the most part."
The Wildcats led by eight with 5:35 remaining in the first half. Stanford tied the game at 23 before a free throw gave Arizona a 24-23 edge at the intermission.
Arizona played without sophomore point guard Jordin Mayes, who injured his right foot in a collision with California's Jorge Gutierrez on Thursday.
Solomon Hill, who recorded his 500th career rebound in the early going, found himself in foul trouble. He was called for his third personal with 35 seconds left in the first half and picked up his fourth midway through the second half. Hill is the Wildcats' top rebounder and second-leading scorer.
Arizona opened a six-point advantage without Hill in the contest.
Stanford drew within 49-43 when Randle put back his own miss with 1:48 remaining to play. The freshman guard fouled out moments later.
"Defensively we played well," Dawkins said. "Offensively we didn't have it."
- Rick Eymer, Associated Press
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NOTES: Saturday's 12 p.m. start represented the earliest tip-off at Maples Pavilion in six years. The Cardinal opened its season at home against UC Irvine in a 12 p.m. tip back on Nov. 19, 2005 ... Arizona held a 43-40 rebounding edge ... The Cardinal has committed 10 turnovers or fewer in five consecutive games ... Stanford attempted 63 shots compared to Arizona's 47 ... Josh Huestis played a career-high 32 minutes ... Stanford was held to under 50 points at home for the first time since a 62-46 loss to Santa Clara on Dec. 16, 2006 ... Stanford's 43 points were its fewest at Maples Pavilion since a 43-41 double-overtime loss to Cal back on Feb. 16, 1985.
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STANFORD QUOTES
Head Coach Johnny Dawkins
On scoring only 43 points as a team...
"I think it's a combination. I thought they played a good defense. I also thought we had some good looks. You have to give them credit, they defended very well, but I think we had some opportunities to get some baskets and we didn't finish the play. So I think it was a combination."
On losing a tight game...
"I thought offensively, we got the ball where we wanted for the most part. We only had nine turnovers for the game against a team that's pressuring. I thought we moved it, I thought we got it inside, we had some good looks inside. I thought a couple of Chasson's drives and a couple perimeter drives were good. You know, you've got to complete the plays at that point. You've got to put it in, because in a game like that, you're not going to get anything easy, by either team. I thought we defended them very, very well as well, the only thing was we couldn't make the plays offensively that we had to."
On Arizona's defense...
"It's been the toughest defensive team that we've faced. We didn't shoot it well, and like I said, give them credit for that. They did a good job in a lot of areas. They were very active, their perimeter was very strong, and they played well defensively tonight."
On his players' performance...
"Like I said, I thought defensively, I thought we played real well. Chasson loses a couple balls at the end and it runs the score a little bit, because they get some buckets, six points at the end. Other than that it was basically a seven-point game. Defensively I thought all of our guys played extremely well. I thought offensively, we didn't have it tonight. I thought J.O. was pretty good on the inside, he didn't shoot the percentage that he normally shoots but he had five offensive boards. But other than that, we didn't have it offensively, and like I said, give [Arizona] credit for that."
On falling to 6-5 in Pac-12 play...
"It's a difficult loss for us, to lose at home. For me, I don't think you're ever out of it until you're out of it. We still have seven games to go, so does everyone else, and so we're going to keep competing. We still have a chance, we just have to find our rhythm, get back in sync with some of the things we're doing offensively. Like I said, I'm really happy with where our defense has been the last three games. Our defense has been as good as it's ever been since I've been here the last three games. We just need to complement that with our offense."
Senior Josh Owens
On losing a tight game...
"I'd like to say that we did a pretty decent job on defense, held them close to our goal of 50 points, but on the offensive end we just didn't knock down shots we needed to knock down."
On scoring only 43 points as a team...
"Every game is kind of a physical grind. That's just the way I'd say it is in the Pac-12 season. But I wouldn't say that one thing in particular really knocked us out of our rhythm or anything like that."
On falling to 6-5 in Pac-12 play...
"I don't think [it takes us out of the race] at all. Just the way the conference has been going, I know that our minds are still in the game, focused on our goals for the season. It's a small setback, but it's time to move on. We lost, it's behind us, [now we're] getting ready for another week and to go on the road to L.A."
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ARIZONA QUOTES
Head Coach Sean Miller:
General thoughts on the game...
"I was proud of our team's effort. We're a very good defensive team and we've proven that over the long course of our season. It was our defensive ability tonight that allowed us to win on the road. I'm sure we weren't a favorite to win either game on this trip, let alone a sweep. We came here with the idea of rebounding, taking care of the ball and executing well, and we really did everything well except rebound against a very physical team. We were ready to play this game, and as hard as it is to say, if you're ready, you can live with either result. We were fortunate to win."
Forward Solomon Hill:
General thoughts on the game...
"It was a slow-paced game. I told our guys that the next three-pointer will count as seven, just because the way the guys were playing, we weren't able to score. I'd say the offense (on both sides) was terrible. We shot like 63 percent against Cal at the half, and had like 30 percent tonight. We just missed shots. Guys were talking about defense, but it really wasn't defense. If we play the way we're supposed to play, there's no reason we should shoot less than 40 percent every time out."