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Wildcat juniors step up, lead UA to 17-point win

KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat

Arizona junior forward Luke Walton drives past Arizona State's Awvee Storey yesterday in the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Wildcats won the Pac-10 Tournament quarterfinal matchup, 73-56, thanks in large part to Walton's game-high 27 points.

By Jeff Lund
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Friday, Mar. 8, 2002

Walton and Gardner combine for 47 as Wildcats roll

LOS ANGELES - Arizona had not lost on a neutral court this season coming into the Pac-10 Tournament.

Last night's game would be no different, as juniors Luke Walton and Jason Gardner combined for 47 of Arizona's 73 points as the Wildcats cruised to a 73-56 victory over ASU in the quarterfinals of the Pacific 10 tourney.

Walton finished the game with a game-high 27 points and eight rebounds, and Gardner hit for 22 points including 12-of-12 from the free throw line.

"We got an exceptional game out of Luke (Walton) from beginning to end," head coach Lute Olson said. "Jason (Gardner) stepped up big as he always does when we needed it."

Walton shook off a turnover on the team's first possession to lead all first-half scorers with 11 points and three rebounds as the Wildcats took a 12-2 lead with 11:42 left in the first half.

The Wildcat guards consistently broke ASU's pressure and found open lanes to the hoop.

Olson said the penetration was key in drawing fouls on the Sun Devils and getting to the free-throw line.

"We knew that if we penetrated off that pressure, we could draw fouls," Olson said.

Paced by Gardner's perfect shooting from the line, the Wildcats made 21-of-31 attempts from the charity stripe, while the Sun Devils connected on just 2-of-12.

With 7:32 remaining in the first half, Gardner drove baseline and scored to up the Wildcat lead to 23-8.

Then the Sun Devils showed signs of life, and led by senior forward Chad Prewitt, they crawled back into the game.

Prewitt started the game 0-3, but his work on the offensive glass led to second-chance points for the Devils.

Prewitt eventually found his touch and his put-back with 5:02 left capped an 11-0 ASU run to make the score 23-18.

ASU head coach Rob Evans said that other than the 11-0 run, his team failed to compete at the level he would have hoped.

"I am sick to my stomach," Evans said. "For the first time in a long time I think that our team didn't compete."

Things got a little physical when a loose ball turned into a multi-person pile-up on the baseline. No fouls were assessed, and Arizona used another spurt to up its lead to 10.

Arizona State bounced back and an emphatic one-handed dunk in traffic by junior forward Donnell Knight pulled ASU to within five.

Again, the Sun Devils rally did not last long.

Freshman Salim Stoudamire hit a 3-pointer with 1:14 left to give Arizona a little breathing room and added a free throw with under a minute remaining to give the Wildcats a 32-23 advantage at the half.

Arizona started off the second half as it finished the first - aggressively.

The Wildcats continued to crash the boards and sustain a sizable lead.

Junior forward Ricky Anderson's 14 rebounds helped the Wildcats outrebound the Sun Devils 47-39.

Olson said the team's aggressiveness on the glass was one of the keys to the team's victory.

"I am very pleased to see the way things are developing on the boards," Olson said. "That was a weakness before. (Anderson) was key on the boards. The 14 board by Ricky was outstanding. He was aggressively pursuing the ball."

Stoudamire hit another 3-pointer with 15:05 left in game to give UA a 43-29 lead.

Stoudamire scored another two of his 10 points after a steal, making the score 50-36.

Gardner hit two free throws to give Arizona its first 20-point lead with 4:48 left in the game, effectively burying Arizona State.

Arizona will now take on the winner of California and UCLA. At press time, Cal had taken a 34-31 lead into halftime.

Olson said that he is not sure yet what kind of toll last night's game will have on the team.

"We had to work very hard," Olson said. "We will see tomorrow (what kind of effect the game will have)."

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