Derrick Williams leads the fast break for Arizona.
Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE
Arizona controls the second half and beats Oregon State 78-69 in the quarterfinals of the Pac-10 tournament. Derrick Williams has 22 points for Arizona and made 5 of 6 shots from 3-point range.
The Wildcats struggled early and never could quite put away Oregon State until very late, and the effort left coach Sean Miller unhappy.
“Being responsible, tough-minded, having 10 or 11 guys playing hard and well … we didn’t have that,” Miller told Fox Sports Net’s Rebecca Haarlow after the game. “And if we don’t, we’ll be out tomorrow.”
The Cats gets USC on Friday night in the semifinals. The teams split two games this season.
Said USC coach Kevin O’Neill on Arizona:
“We can’t outscore them. We’ll have to defend and defend and defend until the end of the game.”
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If the Cats finish this off, Sean Miller will improve to 2-3 against Oregon State’s Craig Robinson.
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Kevin Parrom’s 13 points have all come in the second half, and his latest basket gives Arizona a 76-64 lead with just over 3 minutes to go. Just a little bit of work left.
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All those empty seats at Staples Center. No energy coming through the Fox Sports Net telecast. Pac-10 really takes a back seat to the other major leagues at this time of year.
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Arizona looking good now. Cats up 70-56 with 6:14 to go. Paging Alex Jacobson. Paging Daniel Bejarano …
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Derrick Williams with a friendly bounce off the rim, off the backboard, through the net … and he is now 5 of 5 from 3-point range.
Jared Cunningham is coming back in the game for Oregon State, but Arizona has pushed the lead to 66-51 with about 8 minutes to play.
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Wow. Oregon State’s burly post player Joe Burton basically slugs Kevin Parrom with his left hand as they battle for position with Arizona on offense. Burton catches Parrom on the chin … and he is tossed from the game. As he should be.
The play happens with Arizona leading 60-51 with 10:25 left.
Burton, with nine points and five rebounds, has been a load for Arizona to handle.
With Jared Cunningham out because of cramps, there is no reason why the Wildcats shouldn’t blow this game open right now.
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Arizona has 10 3-point baskets. Cats are 10-1 when hitting double-digits in 3-point makes. But Ahmad Starks hits back-to-back shots from behind the arc for Oregon State, which pulls within 60-51 with 11:51 to go.
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Arizona continues to surge, leading 55-43 with 14:44 to go. This is the Cats’ largest lead of the game. Derrick Williams began the game making 60.9 percent of his 3-pointers. With a 4-for-4 effort, he’s at 63.5 percent.
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MoMo Jones hits two 3-pointers at the start of the second half … and then Derrick Williams hits his fourth trey (in four attempts), pushing the Arizona lead to 49-39 with 17:37 to play.
Arizona entered the game as the Pac-10′s top 3-point shooting team — as well as the league’s overall shooting leader and its free throw percentage leader — and that shooting prowess is now showing itself.
The Wildcats are 9 of 13 from 3-point range.
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Arizona leads 40-37 at halftime, despite 19 points from Oregon State’s Jared Cunningham.
“Jared Cunningham is a real good player, an all-conference player,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said the halftime interview on Fox Sports Net. “Oregon State is a team that when they turn you over, they’re a difficult team to put away.”
Bad news for Oregon State: According to FSN, Cunningham was feeling sick on the bench late in the half.
Derrick Williams has 16 points for Arizona and has made 3 of 3 shots from behind the 3-point arc.
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For a guy who has a sweet shooting stroke, how do you explain that Jordin Mayes is 9 of 23 (39.1 percent) from the free throw line this season? He’s shooting better from 3-point range.
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It took several minutes for Arizona to wake up, but more aggressiveness on offense and awareness on defense has helped the Wildcats lead 32-29 with 3:48 to play in the half. UA gave up a lot of easy points early, necessitating a comeback.
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Another update on Derrick Williams’ 3-point shooting (he is 2 of 2 today): 31 of 50 (62.0 percent).
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Update on Derrick Williams’ 3-point shooting for the season: 30 of 49 (61.2 percent).
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Arizona, with a 9-0 run, takes its first lead at 24-22 with under 8 minutes to go in the half. Doesn’t seem as if the Wildcats should be leading this game, but now you have to wonder if they already have taken Oregon State’s shot.
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Jared Cunningham toying with Arizona with 15 points in the first 10 minutes. Jimmer!
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Javier Morales has more details on comments made today by Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott on a variety of topics.
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Arizona sloppy so far. Oregon State leads 18-14 with 11:52 to go in the half.
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Never gets old seeing the air ball free throw. Thanks, Joe Burton.
Jesse Perry tries to drive to the basket in the first half.
Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE
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Kyle Fogg comes in after the first media timeout and wastes little time in hitting a 3-pointer. Oregon State’s Jared Cunningham continues to be a pest against Arizona; it won’t be until next season that the Wildcats have a guard that can match his athleticism.
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Solomon Hill continues his aggressiveness from last week. Good to see as he cuts through the line and attacks for a layup. Oregon State leads 10-6 at the first media timeout.
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Beavers with the early energy and an 8-2 lead. OSU’s Jared Cunningham has two easy baskets — a backcourt steal with a layup, and then a fastbreak dunk.
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Oregon State starts three sophomores and a freshman, as well as one senior. Bodes well for the future of coach Craig Robinson.
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Kevin Parrom with his first start of the season as Kyle Fogg nurses a thigh injury. (Fox Sports Net announcers fail to mention why Parrom is starting, however. Should have said something when announcing lineups.)
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Tweets Javier Morales, who attended Kevin O’Neill’s postgame press conference: “KO harped on #ArizonaWildcats being one of the “top 10 or 12″ teams in the nation and that USC must control tempo if teams play tomorrow.”
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Starting shooting guard Kyle Fogg suffered a deep thigh bruise during the Oregon game last Saturday and missed practice this week. Look for Kevin Parrom to start in his place. If Fogg is limited, it could also mean more time for Brendon Lavender.
Depth is a great thing.
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Javier Morales is at the Staples Center for Tucson Citizen and will be covering the Arizona-Oregon State quarterfinal at the Pac-10 Tournament.
The winner of this game gets USC in the semifinals; the Trojans beat Cal 70-56 in Thursday’s first game.
We’ll put in our own two cents here in this blog, where you can have your say during and after the game, as well. Morales will check in with reaction after the game.
Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott met with the media at halftime of the USC-Cal game and was asked if the league tournament will switch locations. His answer:
“That’s always a thought. It is certainly something that I have heard people would want us to look at. It’s tied to our TV contract so we are here for sure next year as well, and as part of our TV negotiations it is a topic we will be discussing. First in terms of whose rights it is going to be and who is going to make the decision, then after that we get to staying here or looking at other models. Sometime in the next 12 months it is a question we will answer.”
Here is more recent Arizona basketball coverage from the TucsonCitizen.com Sports Network:
Morales: Arizona vs. Oregon State — breaking down the matchups
Morales: Despite stats, Arizona more than Derrick Williams
Morales: If Cal won 3OT classic vs. Arizona, Montgomery would be Pac-10′s top coach
Morales: Pac-10 tournament history at Staples Center unkind to Arizona
Brad Allis: For Miller, Arizona is living up to the hype
Victor and Matt: Dick Vitale on Arizona: Resurgence helps college basketball
Gimino: From here, Arizona has to do it with defense
Gimino: Derrick Williams is first Wildcat to be Pac-10 Player of the Year in 12 years
Gimino: Arizona notes: Hill, free throws, Kyryl, lots of Fogg