Harris' double-double leads UA

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Daily Wildcat UA sophomore center Donnell Harris (13) entered the starting lineup last night against Washington State and responded with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Arizona beat the Cougars 100-86 at McKale Center.

With eight rebounds in the first six minutes of Arizona's 100-86 victory over Washington State, it was safe to say he made his presence known.

"I just wanted to come out and make the most of the opportunity," said Harris, who finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds. "I'm capable of rebounding like that and I would have liked to have more if I wouldn't have gotten in foul trouble."

The double-double was the third of Harris' career. He made the starting lineup after junior Bennett Davison was benched for the first half for missing a class.

The victory gives the Wildcats (18-7 overall, 10-5 in the Pacific 10 Conference) a much-needed lift going into their final three games of the season.

"This was a big win for us," UA sophomore guard Jason Terry said. "It gives us some momentum going into the final stretch. Now we just need to worry about coming out and taking care of business on Sunday."

UA juniors Miles Simon and Michael Dickerson had their best collective game and proved to be a potent one-two punch for the Wildcats. Dickerson led the way with 32 points and five rebounds. He proved to be a one-man team for a while, scoring six of seven Arizona baskets in a three-minute run late in the second half.

Simon added 24 points and six rebounds, but his biggest contribution was his first-half defensive effort on the conference's number two scorer, Issac Fontaine. While he finished with 16 points, Fontaine was held to just five first-half points on two of six shooting.

"Miles did a great job on Fontaine early," UA head coach Lute Olson said. "You can really see the direction (Simon) provides out there. Tonight he played within himself and was not out of control."

While Arizona's perimeter play led the offensive attack, the big surprise was the play of their frontcourt. Harris, sophomore A.J. Bramlett and freshman Eugene Edgerson combined for 24 points and 20 rebounds. They also limited their mistakes as they committed just three turnovers as a group.

"At this point in the season, we are confident in our guard play. Our big guys will determine how far will go in the post-season," Olson said. "We need those guys to come out with fire in their eyes and play aggressive basketball. And they did that tonight."

The Wildcats host Washington on Sunday at 1:45 at McKale Center.