Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Arizona took its lumps against UCLA last season, losing three times to its Pac-12 rival. Those defeats stuck in the minds of the Wildcats, especially when they let a commanding lead slip away in the latest matchup.
Nick Johnson scored 22 points and the top-ranked Wildcats withstood UCLA’s late 15-1 run to beat the Bruins 79-75 Thursday night, equaling the best start in school history at 16-0.
“We’re undefeated and we’ll keep it like that if we can keep churning out wins and not worry about who our opponent is or how special it is, and just play our game,” Johnson said.
The Wildcats (3-0 Pac-12) blew a 13-point lead with 6:16 to play and committed a season-worst 17 turnovers. UCLA shot 41 percent in the second half against a team that had been holding opponents to 36 percent in the final 20 minutes.
“Losing to them three times last year definitely made us more hungry,” said Gabe York, who had 12 points. “None of us forgot that.”
Johnson added: “It was definitely a chip on my shoulder.”
Kaleb Tarczewski made all six of his field goal attempts and scored a career-high 16 points for the Wildcats in the lone regular-season meeting between the longtime conference powers.
The 1931-32 Wildcats also began the season 16-0.
“Our common goal is to get to the national championship,” York said. “We don’t really talk about it. We take it one game at a time and I think that’s what’s giving us a great record right now.”
Freshman Zach LaVine hit a 3-pointer that got UCLA to 77-75 with 15 seconds left, but he missed another one with 2 seconds to go that would have left the Bruins down one.
“We knew they were going to make their run,” Johnson said. “We couldn’t blow them out really, but we just tried to respond when they made their run and we did.”
Kyle Anderson had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Jordan Adams added 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds for the Bruins (12-3, 1-1). They haven’t beaten a top-ranked team since March 13, 2003, when they took down Arizona in overtime in the Pac-12 tournament.
UCLA’s other two losses came against Missouri and Duke.
“Being down to a very good team, we did a good job of fighting back,” Anderson said. “I’m not one for moral victories, but we did fight hard.”
Buoyed by loud chants of “U of A” in sold-out Pauley Pavilion, the Wildcats pulled away to a 12-point lead midway through the second half after UCLA kept it close in the first 20 minutes. Arizona starters Aaron Gordon (16 points), Brandon Ashley (nine points) and T.J. McConnell (eight points) all played with four fouls in the second half.
Johnson’s dunk gave Arizona its largest lead of the game, 68-55.
That’s when the Bruins reeled off a 15-1 run, including 13 consecutive points, to take their last lead at 70-69.
Adams hit a 3-pointer for a 68-all tie. He, Anderson and Bryce Alford combined to outscore the Wildcats, who made just one free throw during that stretch. Alford finished with 12 points.
“Being down one was a little bit nerve-racking, but Coach Miller is a really good coach,” Gordon said. “He gathered us and said, ‘OK, stick together, it’s really time to come together and just stick with and just do what we’d been doing the whole game. It’s a process and just stick to Arizona principles.’”
The Wildcats were limited to one field goal over the final 1:27, when they went 8 of 10 from the free throw line to hang on.
“Gabe York and Aaron Gordon making those four free throws at the very end really solidified things,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “That’s not easy to do if you’re Gabe because he came in off the bench, and those are two huge free throws.”
The Bruins’ 79 points were the most scored by an Arizona opponent this season. They missed five straight free throws before their big run.
“They were huge,” Anderson said. “That’s something we can fix.”
Arizona controlled the boards, 37-36, as it has done in all 16 games so far.
Arizona led 42-38 at the break, hitting three 3-pointers over the final 2:56, when UCLA twice tied the game.
Retired Lakers coach Phil Jackson and Clippers coach Doc Rivers attended the game, along with former Bruins Baron Davis, Jordan Farmar and Ryan Hollins. Injured Lakers guard Steve Nash, actor John Lithgow, who sat with Jackson, and Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea were there, too.
No. 24 MEMPHIS 73, No. 12 LOUISVILLE 67
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Joe Jackson and Shaq Goodwin each scored 15 points and Memphis rallied late to upset Louisville.
Geron Johnson added 13 points, Chris Crawford 12 and Austin Nichols 10 as all five starters scored in double figures to help the Tigers end a four-game losing streak to the defending national champions. Memphis (11-3, 2-1 American Athletic Conference) shot 51 percent and outrebounded the Cardinals 37-35 in a victory that almost slipped away in the second half.
Trailing 61-55 with 5:26 remaining, the Tigers closed with an 18-6 run led by Jackson, who scored 11 second-half points. His layup on goaltending by Montrezl Harrell put Memphis up 70-67 with 40 seconds left.
Luke Hancock had a season-high 20 points to lead Louisville (13-3, 2-1).
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CALIFORNIA 96, No. 17 OREGON 83
EUGENE, Ore. — Freshman guard Jordan Mathews scored a season-high 32 points and California beat Oregon for the 12th straight time.
Justin Cobbs had 20 points and 11 assists for the Golden Bears (11-4, 2-0 Pac-12), who shot 52.6 percent and had five players in double figures.
Joseph Young scored 29 for the Ducks (13-2, 1-2), who went 5 of 19 from 3-point range and dropped their second consecutive game after opening 13-0. Oregon was held to 40.6 percent shooting overall.
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No. 20 IOWA 93, NORTHWESTERN 67
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Aaron White had 18 points and 10 rebounds, Melsahn Basabe added 16 points with 10 boards and Iowa routed Northwestern.
Devyn Marble scored 15 points for the Hawkeyes, who never trailed despite playing without coach Fran McCaffery. He was suspended one game by the Big Ten for an outburst directed at officials during last weekend’s loss at Wisconsin.
Iowa (13-3, 2-1 Big Ten) opened the game on a 10-0 run and never looked back. The Hawkeyes led by double digits the entire second half, improving to 10-0 at home.
JerShon Cobb had 18 points to lead Northwestern. The Wildcats (7-9, 0-3) were outrebounded 41-28 and let the Hawkeyes shoot 8 of 14 from 3-point range.
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PORTLAND 82, No. 22 GONZAGA 73
PORTLAND, Ore. — Bryce Pressley had 16 points and nine assists to help scrappy Portland snap a 20-game losing streak to Gonzaga.
The loss also ended the Bulldogs’ 22-game winning streak in West Coast Conference games.
The previous time Portland (10-7, 2-3) beat Gonzaga at home was in 1996, and the Pilots’ last victory in the series came in 2003 in Spokane. Portland had not defeated a ranked opponent since 2009 against then-No. 22 Minnesota.
Gonzaga (14-3, 4-1) had won four straight to open the conference schedule after a 72-62 loss to Kansas State on Dec. 21. The Bulldogs, who were playing their first league game away from home, won their first four conference games by an average of 21.5 points. They had held their last six opponents under 62 points.
