Arizona Basketball sends Seniors out with a 94-62 Win over Stanford!
By Mark Barrera
It’s senior day for Arizona Basketball. The Stanford Cardinal visited Tucson today with an upset in mind.
The Wildcats were looking to lock up a bye for the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament, as well as send their Seniors out with a win.
The afternoon couldn’t have started any better for the three offensive starters. Gabe York continued his hot 3-pt shooting as he started 3-3, with his third being a heat check. York received the pass beyond the NBA 3-pt line, but it didn’t matter. It was a perfect, nothing but net, pull-up jumper as the Wildcats jumped to a 20-8 lead with 13 minutes to go in the first half.
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Ryan Anderson got in on the fun with a dunk off the assist from Kadeem Allen. He was also able to get an early put-back, continuing to show his powerful play down low. Kaleb Tarczewski had two ferocious dunks early on.
Coach Miller came out knowing his team was far bigger, and stronger. Mark Tollefsen joined in on the fun as well, hitting a wide-open 3-point shot. At this point Arizona went 5-6, as Parker Jackson-Cartwright also started his afternoon with a 3-pointer.
Arizona would break USC’s record of 16 made three-pointers in a game and sunk 18.
Stanford’s only consistency in the first-half was their power forward Humphrey. He was able to hit a deep two, a floater with his left in the lane, and get good position down low.
The one area that has hurt Arizona all year is when they face an athletic PF. Anderson and Zeus, for how good they do play on defense, aren’t quick enough to stay with the quicker forwards. Humphrey took advantage of this on offense, as well as defense as he had a couple blocks.
At the 9:00 mark of the first half, Arizona controlled a 27-12 lead. The first half we saw was different from other halves for the year. The Wildcats looked more engaged, physical, and focused than they have been most of the year.
Even so, Stanford was able to get clean looks in the paint. With Arizona missing their last five shots, and having a couple turnovers, Stanford hit a nice inside jumper to cut the lead to 27-15.
Arizona went six minutes without a bucket until York hit another deep three off the feed from Tollefsen. Still feeling it from the win over Cal, York was 4-4 from three-point land, most being from NBA range.
The confidence we’re seeing in York is very important, and as Miller made it known last week, he has given Gabe the green light.
Allonzo Trier didn’t really make an impact until the 4:48 mark. He was 0-3, and only had one point as he made 1-2 from the free throw line. Trier is Arizona’s best player, but with York hitting his shots, the misses early didn’t hurt the team. Allonzo was able to get to the free-throw line consecutively. The second time he was 2-2 from the line. But he wasn’t done, or satisfied.
Trier stripped the ball from the Cardinal player, and got fouled again on the fast break. After making 1-2 from the line, Trier helped pushed the Arizona lead to up 35-17 with 3:52 remaining.
Things got a little chippy with 2:00 remaining between Zeus and Humphrey. The fans weren’t happy with the foul being given to Zeus as they both hit the floor, but it was a foul on Zeus. This gave him two early fouls, which he needs to be smarter about moving forward. But Humphrey showed he wasn’t afraid, as he went right at Zeus aware of his foul situation, and made a wide-open lay-up. With another inside lay-up the Cardinal continued their run before Anderson stopped it.
At the half, the Wildcats held a 16 point lead, 40-24. York led all scorers with 13 points, going 4-5 from deep. Anderson had 10 points and 4 rebounds, and Zeus had seven points and five rebounds, as the three seniors continued to show their leadership.
The Wildcats picked up right where they left off, showing how dominant they are inside. Kadeem Allen was able to get dribble penetration, and throw the beautiful lob to Zeus, who threw it down with authority.
Not to be out done, York hit his 5th three of the game, after missing his first two attempts of the half. The play was set up nicely due to Anderson getting a sneaky steal. After Stanford answered on the other end going inside, Zeus pulled down the rebound off of an Anderson miss, and destroyed the rim with his dunk, drawing the foul as well. With 18:00 to go, Arizona extended their lead, going up 47-29.
Allonzo Trier made his first field goal of the game, hitting his first 3-pointer of the game, giving him 7 points. Gabe York continued his hot shooting, as he hit ANOTHER 3 off of a screen from Zeus, giving him six 3’s, and 19 points for the game, matching his high from the win over Cal. The Wildcats now held a 53-30 advantage, forcing Stanford to call a timeout with 16:10 remaining.
Gabe York just could not be stopped. After hitting his career-high 7th three pointer, that wasn’t enough. He hit his 8th three of the game, with a hand in his face. Again, that wasn’t enough. With another heat check, he hit his 9th three of the game, this time from well beyond NBA range. This gave him 28 points with 13:00 remaining, and extending the afternoon’s dominance, with Arizona up 62-33.
After a PJC three, his second of the game, the Wildcats were up 75-40. The Cardinal just had nothing going for them today, while Arizona played their best all around game. With 7:00 in the game, Miller subbed in fan favorite Jacob Hazzard. Hazzard, never being afraid to shoot the ball, drilled a 3-pointer, nothing but net, putting Arizona up 81-43. The next time up the court, everyone knew where the ball was going. Hazzard was fed again on the perimeter, and drilled his second three.
At the 4:59 mark, Gabe York was subbed out, ending his last home game of his career. With a kiss of the center court, a standing ovation from the crowd, and a big hug from his coach, York ended his day with 32 points, 9-14 from 3, and the MVP of this week’s games. With 4:25 left, Zeus was subbed out for the last time at home. He ended the day with 13 points and 9 rebounds. Ryan Anderson, subbed out earlier in the game, ended his home career with another double-double, 14 points and 12 rebounds.
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This game was just what this team needed and what these seniors deserved. With the 94-62 win, the Wildcats closed out and locked the bye for the first round. The team looked primed and ready for the post-season. It sure had its ups and downs, but this team came together, and sent the seniors out as winners.
Next, let’s take the tournament!
BearDown Arizona!