Wildcats escape Tempe with win

Katherine K. Gardiner Arizona Daily Wildcat UA senior forward Bennett Davison (21) puts a lay up over ASU's senior guard Ahlon Lewis (11) while UA sophomore guard Mike Bibby (10) tries to hold Lewis off. The Wildcats narrowly beat the Sun Devils 83-82.

At the 4:49 mark in the second half of Saturday's game at the University Activity Center in Tempe, the game was tied as Arizona center A.J. Bramlett stepped to the free-throw line and hit his first. Then, the junior missed his second but Arizona State's Mike Batiste was called for a lane violation and Bramlett was given another free throw, which he made.

"When he stepped in it messed me up," Bramlett said. "But, they gave me another one."

And when Ahlon Lewis missed a three-pointer as time expired, the Wildcats held an 83-82 advantage. Bramlett's free throw became the difference, and you could hear the collective sigh of relief from the Wildcat fans among the 14,198.

"The more deserving team did not win this one," Arizona head coach Lute Olson said. "They did a nice job of taking what we gave them."

Jeremy Veal tossed in 24 points to lead all scorers but was unable to get a shot off in the final seconds and had to pass to Lewis.

Early on, it looked like the Wildcats would blow the Sun Devils out like they did in Tucson on Jan. 15. UA took a 12 point lead with 4:39 to go in the first half on a dunk by Bennett Davison but ASU closed the half on a tear, battling back to within four at halftime.

The teams went back and forth throughout the second half and ASU (16-9 overall, 6-6 in the Pacific 10 Conference) led by as many as six before the Wildcats (22-3, 12-0) battled back. UA - with its win streak now at 15 - had numerous chances to close out the game in the final minutes but poor free throw shooting and clumsy ball handling kept the Sun Devils within striking distance.

"I thought we did a lousy job of taking care of the ball down the stretch," Olson said.

Despite two missed free throws, Michael Dickerson turned in a solid performance with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Eugene Edgerson pulled down 12 rebounds and added seven points.

Miles Simon scored 17 of his 23 in the first half. Point guard Mike Bibby turned in a typical Bibby-like performance with 16 points, 10 assists, five steals and four rebounds and he tied a career-high with one blocked shot.

For the Sun Devils, Bobby Lazor was a one-man show. He finished with 20 points and recorded 10 rebounds.

"We were average today," Olson said. "And average is okay if you don't want to go very far in the tournament."