TUCSON, AZ – Caught in a battle against a feisty Oregon squad, No. 3 Arizona Basketball (24-2, 14-1) escaped with a narrow 84-81 win over the Ducks.
Once again, Arizona Basketball proved that they are one of the best teams in the country when it comes to erasing huge leads, as the Wildcats overcame a 32-20 deficit against Oregon, eventually eeking out the 84-81 victory over the Ducks.
Sophomore wing Benn Mathurin was essential in the Wildcats’ win, finishing his day with 24 points and seven rebounds on 9-17 shooting. Christian Koloko had a big day as well, finishing his evening with 10 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Christian of course came up clutch defensively in the end, preventing Oregon from scoring.
Like many other games this season, Arizona fell behind early, as Oregon couldn’t miss, jumping out to a 32-20 lead after the first 10:29 of play.
Luckily, the offense would finally come alive in this one, outscoring Oregon 25-15 over the last 9:31 of to play to cut the Ducks’ lead to just 47-45 at the half.
Arizona would finish the first half shooting 17-24 (70.8 percent from the field), including 6-12 (50.0 percent from three).
Azuolas Tubelis and Mathurin were a big part of Arizona’s offensive success, scoring 20 of Arizona’s 45 first-half points.
A strong second half by Arizona Basketball would make this yet another classic battle between the Wildcats and the Ducks.
In a game where Oregon couldn’t seemingly miss, Arizona’s depth, talent, and rowdy fan support proved to be the difference-maker in this one.
Despite falling behind by as many as seven in the second half, Arizona would finally come alive, responding with a 13-0 run to make it 60-54 Wildcats with 14:45 to play.
Unfortunately, Oregon wouldn’t go quietly in this one as they regained the lead at 66-64 and again at 74-72 just a few minutes later.
Trailing 76-72 with 3:23 to play, Arizona would go on a 7-0 run, regaining the lead at 79-76 after a big three-pointer from Kerr Kriisa. Luckily, the Wildcats wouldn’t relinquish their lead at that point, hanging on to beat the Ducks 84-81.
Where does Arizona Basketball go from here?
With the win, the Wildcats improve to 24-2 (14-1) on the year and sit comfortably atop the Pac-12 standings. Arizona will return to action on Thursday when they travel to Salt Lake City to take on Utah, followed by another tough matchup against Colorado on Saturday evening.
Listen to the players following the Wildcats’ win over the Ducks!