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By Arlie Rahn
Arizona Daily Wildcat
November 18, 1996
Over the last two years, junior forward Michael Dickerson has constantly pushed for more playing time.Yesterday , he got it.
With junior Miles Simon sitting the game out, Dickerson put in 32 minutes and led Arizona to a 101-86 win over the Melbourne Magic in an exhibition game in front of 13,873 at McKale Center.
"With Miles out, I knew I would have to take control of the game and be more vocal," Dickerson said. "While I did well offensively in the first half, my defense picked up as well in the second half."
Dickerson led all scorers with 30 points, adding eight rebounds and three assists. Arizona's win, though, was tied directly to a pickup in overall defensive intensity in the second half.
In the first half, the Magic was 7-of-12 from three-point range, while shooting 55 percent overall. Yet a defensive charge, led by sophomore guard Jason Terry, helped the Wildcats hold Melbourne to 43 percent shooting with only two attempted three-pointers in the second half.
"We came out in the second half and really picked up our defensive pressure," UA coach Lute Olson said. "Jason came out with a lot of intensity and the team fed off it."
Behind the strength of four three-pointers, the Magic jumped out to a 24-16 lead after just seven minutes of play. While Arizona attempted three comebacks, the Wildcats were still down 33-22 with nine minutes remaining.
With seven of the next 11 points, Dickerson kept the Wildcats in the game, helping pull Arizona to within four points. Despite a buzzer-beating three-pointer by freshman Mike Bibby, the Magic still led 49-44 at the half.
"We knew when we entered halftime that we had to pick up our intensity," Bibby said. "We weren't going to lose in front of our home crowd."
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