Loss ends Pac-10 title hopes

UA head coach Lute Olson said prior to the game his two main concerns were junior guard Casey Jacobsen and senior center Curtis Borchardt. The decisive factor would be the 7-foot Borchardt and not the All-American Jacobsen who would play the biggest role in spoiling UA's shot at the conference title.

MATT HEISTAND/Arizona Daily Wildcat UA junior forward Luke Walton gets trapped by two Stanford defenders during last night's game in McKale Center. The Wildcats lost to the Cardinal 76-71, ending their quest for a share of the Pac-10.

Arizona had plenty of chances in the final minutes last night, but Stanford was able to hold off the Wildcats 76-71 in McKale Center.

"Borchardt is just huge," Olson said. "In the end, it was just the big guy inside."

Jacobsen was held to only six points on 2-of-7 shooting. The junior suffered an injury to his eye late in the first half, which kept him out of the opening minutes of the second half.

After No. 16 Stanford was out-rebounded 23 to 13 in the first half by Arizona, the Cardinal (18-8, 11-6) punished the No. 14 Wildcats (18-9, 11-6) - who have lost three of their last four games - on the glass in the second frame 25-11.

Nine of those rebounds came on the offensive end; something Olson said cannot happen against a team of Stanford's caliber.

"(In the first half) we had done as good a job as we had all year on the glass," Olson said. "In the second, they just beat us to a pulp."

Stanford broke a 37-37 half-time tie with four straight free throws from Borchardt to open the second half.

Arizona fought back and took a 51-50 lead with 11:56 remaining, but following a basket by freshman center Rob Little, Stanford took the lead for good.

The Wildcats kept the game close, with a 3-pointer by guard Jason Gardner with 44 seconds left. The junior went on to intercept a pass and dish the ball off to junior Rick Anderson.

Anderson attempted a dunk in traffic, missed, and despite contact, no call was made. Stanford retained a two-point lead.

Senior guard Tony Giovacchini, who rebounded the miss, calmly sunk two free throws after being fouled by freshman center Isaiah Fox to put Stanford up 70-66.

Following two Borchardt free throws that put the Cardinal up six, Gardner was fouled on a 3-pointer.

Gardner made all three free throws.

Stanford forward Teyo Johnson was fouled, but missed both free throws.

A scramble ensued, and it was none other than Borchardt that came up with the ball, and sealed the victory with two more free throws.

Borchardt - who finished with 28 points and nine rebounds - hit 11 of 11 free throws including six in the final 15 seconds to seal the win for the Cardinal.

"We had chances toward the end of the game," Gardner said. "We played extremely hard."

Gardner finished the game with 33 points - 20 in the first half - and four steals, but received little help from the backcourt.

Freshman Salim Stoudamire shot just 1 of 11 from the field but did make all six of his free throws finishing with eight points.

Fellow freshman Will Bynum did not play because he missed practice, forcing Stoudamire to play all but three minutes, and Gardner to play the full 40.

With Oregon's win over USC last night, Arizona lost its shot at the Pac-10 title, which is something Gardner said is tough to swallow.

"It's hard," Gardner said. "I felt we had a chance to share the title. We had a shot. It hurts that we lost at home."

Freshman center Channing Frye, who came off the bench to score five points, said that although the loss hurts, the team still has another game to get back on track before the postseason.

"This game is over," Frye said. "We lost. Now we have to worry about Cal. It hurts, but we have to look at the Cal game. Things just didn't go our way."

Arizona takes the floor against California tomorrow at noon in the season finale.