Arizona grabs share of first
Wise scores 30 to lead ’Cats past Cal
TUCSON, Ariz. – Four weeks after absorbing the worst loss in McKale Center history, Arizona is tied for the Pac-10 lead.
Nic Wise matched a career high with 30 points, and Arizona defeated California 76-72 on Sunday to grab a share of first place at the midway point.
“This is, to me, the best win of our season because of who we played,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “Cal is a terrific team, and the stakes were high. It’s always interesting to see how your team plays in big moments, and we really answered the bell.”
These aren’t the same Wildcats who appeared helpless in a 99-69 loss to Brigham Young on Dec. 28. Halfway through the Pac-10 season, Arizona (12-9, 6-3) has won four straight to pull into a first-place tie with the Golden Bears (14-7, 6-3).
The Wildcats have 11 regular-season titles in 31 seasons, but none since 2005, their longest drought in a quarter century. California hasn’t won the conference since 1959-60, when there were five teams.
“We don’t want to dwell on the fact that we’re in first place,” Arizona guard Lamont Jones said. “Like Nic said in the locker room, we don’t want to be tied for first.”
There’s a long way to go in the regular season. But both teams looked title-worthy in a riveting game that had nine ties and 11 lead changes.
Theo Robertson scored a career-high 27 points for the Golden Bears, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Robertson’s outburst came three days after he played 37 scoreless minutes in a victory at Arizona State.
The win in Tempe gave the Bears a shot at their first road sweep of the Arizona schools, which joined the league for the 1978-79 season. But Cal’s chance for a victory over Arizona slipped away down the stretch, with the Golden Bears scoring only one bucket in the final 5:23.
“The thing that is disappointing is you have a chance to win with two minutes left,” Cal coach Mike Montgomery said. “All you have to do is get a stop and make a play.”
With the game tied at 69 with 1:15 to play, Wise took over, personally outscoring Cal 7-3 in the final 52 seconds.