Undersized Wildcats Cruise Past Huskies Dickerson Helps Arizona Avoid Third Straight Loss To UW

Even in what was clearly a team victory, Michael Dickerson stood out.

The 6-foot-5 swingman had 27 points and seven rebounds Sunday, helping No. 15 Arizona’s undersized front-court players steal the show from Washington’s towering post players in a 103-82 victory.

Arizona (19-7, 11-5 Pac-10) outrebounded the Huskies 49-31 to avoid losing three straight to Washington for the first time in 13 years. Washington beat the Wildcats in overtime last year in Tucson and won the first meeting this season 92-88 on Feb. 2 despite Dickerson’s 23 points and 11 rebounds.

This time, the Wildcats set season highs in three key categories - 3-pointers (13), offensive rebounds (28) and assists (30), and Dickerson came up big in two. He was 6 of 9 from beyond the arc and had four offensive rebounds.

“I’m feeling it the last few weeks,” said Dickerson, who matched his career high with 32 points in the Wildcats’ previous game. “Before that, I wasn’t hitting, but tonight I felt good with the 3.”

“He was great again,” Huskies coach Bob Bender said. “It’s not just us that he’s great against us. He is great against a lot of people. He understands how to use screens to get open.”

Mike Bibby had 20 points and seven assists for the Wildcats.

Mark Sanford had 28 points and nine rebounds for Washington (16-9, 9-7), while Patrick Femerling had 17 points and Jamie Booker 14.

Arizona 103, Washington 82

Washington (16-9) - Sanford 11-22 2-3 28, Booker 4-5 4-6 14, MacCulloch 0-2 2-2 2, Wooten 0-3 1-3 1, Watts 3-7 2-2 8, Thompson 2-3 4-4 8, Luton 2-7 0-0 4, Femerling 6-8 5-6 17. Totals 28-57 20-26 82.

Arizona (19-7) - Davison 3-7 0-0 6, Dickerson 10-24 1-6 27, Bramlett 3-8 5-8 11, Bibby 6-7 3-4 20, Simon 9-15 0-0 20, Harris 4-7 1-2 9, Terry 1-2 0-0 2, Edgerson 2-5 2-6 6, Lee 1-1 0-0 2, Pastner 0-0 0-0 0, Ash 0-0 0-0 0, Stewart 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 39-76 12-26 103.

Halftime-Arizona 52, Washington 33. 3-Point goals- Washington 6-12 (Sanford 4-6, Booker 2-3, Wooten 0-1, Thompson 0-1, Luton 0-1), Arizona 13-22 (Dickerson 6-9, Bibby 5-6, Simon 2-6, Bramlett 0-1). Fouled out-None. Rebounds- Washington 31 (Sanford 9), Arizona 49 (Davison, Dickerson, Bramlett 7), Assists-Washington 18 (Wooten, Thompson 4), Arizona 30 (Terry 11). Total Fouls-Washington 19, Arizona 20. A-14,421.