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Arizona gets by Jackson State

SALT LAKE CITY - The margin of victory may be a bit deceiving, but nevertheless it is still a 24-point win.

The top West Region seed Arizona Wildcats (27-6) treaded through some hot water in the first half against the No. 16 seed Jackson State Tigers (17-16), but in the Wildcats were left standing with a 71-47 win.

ãEven though they were a 16 seed, they were very competitive,ä UA sophomore swing forward Richard Jefferson said. ãThey just went out there and worked their butts off. They shouldnât be intimidated by us. If they are competitors than there is no way they should come out in the game scared.ä

The Wildcats, who will be playing without junior center Loren Woods for the remainder of the season, trailed early in the first half 7-3.

UA then went on a 9-0 run, but JSU once again got back in it when its band and cheerleaders finally showed up. They were late because the bus driver had the wrong itinerary.

Associated Press Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona forward Michael Wright shoots over Jackson State forward Leonard Taylor (32) in the second half.

ãTheir band was really groovinâ and they got the crowd in the game,ä Jefferson said. The Wildcats were plagued by early turnovers and two early fouls by freshman guard Gilbert Arenas.

In fact, the only consistency came from junior forward Justin Wessel, who scored six points on three-of-five shooting in the first half. Wessel tied a career-high with eight rebounds.

ãWe have a lot of young guys, so I just tried to step up for them because your first experience is always going to be a little rough, but this is just one game,ä Wessel said.

UA, though, managed to lead 28-20 at the half, largely due to the fact that JSU played just as poorly.

Both teams did not shoot better than 31 percent from the field, while only hitting one of the 14 total three-pointers that were taken.

But, then the horn blew signifying the end of the half, and what was to come was virtually a brand new ballgame - Arizona style.

ãAt halftime we just said play,ä UA head coach Lute Olson said. ãGet the ball out, go at them, move, be hard to guard and stop standing around waiting for things to happen.ä

Sophomore forward Michael Wright began to get into the flow of the game and handle the physical play inside, finishing the game with 19 points and 13 rebounds, seven of which he picked up in the first half.

ãI experienced it last year when we played Oklahoma, it was real physical and I just know that when we play in the NCAA tournament it is going to be physical, but you have to keep battling hard down low,ä Wright said.

Wessel also replaced Jefferson in the starting rotation for the second half. The scoring and the pace of the game both picked up, and with UA leading 38-27 Jefferson entered the game for redshirt freshman forward Luke Walton.

In an instance the Wildcats were much more athletic as they began a 7-2 run, forcing JSU to call a 30-second timeout.

Following the timeout, the Tigers strategically put themselves right back in the ballgame by going on an 8-0 run and pulling to within eight of the Wildcats, 45-37.

ãI think with our guys, it is a bad thing, but it is really hard to go 40 minutes balls to the wall,ä Jefferson said. ãThe team is really good out there, but if you go 40 minutes you wonât be able to walk. A lot of times weâll get a lead, then let it up a bit, then realize that we have to pick it up a bit. That is how we have played all year and luckily it hasnât backfired on us yet.ä

Associated Press Arizona Daily Wildcat Darren Robinson of Jackson State shows his displeasure after losing to Arizona.

UA realized that it had to stop the run and Arenas was just the man to do it, hitting two three-pointers in a row giving UA a 14-point advantage, which they did not relinquish for the rest of the game.

ãI was feeling it,ä Arenas said. ãI was telling Coach (Rodney) Tention that I want to end up 65 percent from the three-point line when I leave the tournament, so that it what I am trying to do.ä

From that point on Jefferson found his shot and finished with 14 points, while the Wildcats closed the game on a 20-10 run. ãI think we just wore them down,ä Wright said. ãWe played tough defense, rebounded the ball well, hit some tough shots and we werenât turning the ball over as much. We got to them at about the 10-minute mark.ä

With 54 seconds left in the game, the crowd knew it was garbage time as Olson emptied his bench by substituting in senior guard Josh Pastner, junior guard John Ash and sophomore forward Peter Hansen.

If that wasnât enough, freshman guard Russell Harris was substituted in with 25 seconds left, but Olson had to call a 30-second timeout to get him in.

The Wildcats now face the Wisconsin Badgers (19-13), who defeated Fresno State last night 66-56. It marks the first time UA will face the Badgers since 1966, a game which Wisconsin won 104-77 against the Bruce Larson-led Wildcats.