UA survives 1st-round scare

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - South Alabama came into yesterday's game against Arizona wanting to slow down the pace of the game. But with 7:34 left in the second half, the clock couldn't move fast enough for the Jaguars.

In a period of five minutes down the stretch, South Alabama saw its comfortable 10-point lead turn into a three point deficit.

"When we were down 10, we just looked at each other and said, 'We do not want to go home tonight,'" UA sophomore guard Jason Terry said. "So we stayed patient and used some pressure defense to wear them down and get back into the game."

Arizona's defensive pressure held the Jaguars to just four points in the final seven and a half minutes, with both baskets coming in the final 25 seconds.

In that same span, the Wildcats scored 17 unanswered points.

That margin made the difference for Arizona, who wound up defeating the Jaguars in the first round of the NCAA Tournament by a score of 65-57.

"The reason for the run was our defense," UA head coach Lute Olson said. "That's been the reason all year long."

Going into halftime, the Wildcats trailed by two, but the score was low, 28-26. South Alabama had held Arizona to just 37.5 percent shooting, with the Wildcats making just one three-pointer in seven attempts.

"I thought South Alabama had a great game plan in terms of playing at a slower tempo," Olson said. "We played an awful lot of defense this evening and they really out hustled us on long rebounds in the first half."

Even as the second half got underway, Arizona still found themselves letting the Jaguars have 35 second possessions.

"I thought our front line did a good job rebounding against this ball club," said South Alabama head coach Bill Mussellman, whose team out-rebounded Arizona, 35-31 on the night. "Our front court played as well as they could play."

Yet Arizona (20-9) found a remedy for South Alabama's Princeton-like offensive tempo. The remedy came in the form of defensive pressure, led by Jason Terry's career-high five steals.

Arizona forced the Jaguars into five late turnovers en route to a 17-point turnaround.

"J.T. was the spark plug for us tonight," said UA sophomore center A.J. Bramlett, who finished with nine points and a career-high 16 rebounds. "He helped us turn up the defense and cause havoc on their guards."

Another key was the play of junior forward Michael Dickerson. Dickerson made three shots midway through the second half to keep Arizona within four.

"I think Dickerson's ability to hit the key shot really hurt us tonight," Mussellman said. "He really stepped up for them."

Arizona can't afford to slow down with the 12th-seed College of Charleston tomorrow night. The Cougars (29-2) extended their winning streak last night to 23 games, the nation's longest, with a 75-66 victory over Maryland.