ARIZONA BASKETBALL
No. 6 Arizona pulls away in 2nd half, tops Washington
Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis, right, looks to the basket with Washington guard Keyon Menifield defending during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
SEATTLE — Azuolas Tubelis had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Oumar Ballo added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 6 Arizona used a big second-half run to pull away for a 95-72 win over Washington on Saturday.
The Wildcats (19-3, 8-3 Pac-12) won their fourth straight and picked up their first road sweep in conference play this season. Arizona also won for the eighth time in its last nine trips to Seattle, each of the past three victories by 20 points or more.
Tubelis topped 20 points for the first time in five games and his rebound putback while being fouled with 4:29 remaining gave the Wildcats a 78-63 lead and sent Washington fans headed for the exits.
Kerr Kriisa added 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, and Courtney Ramey scored 14.
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 25 points and Keyon Menifield added 21. But the Huskies (13-10, 5-7) suffered from too many scoring droughts and didn’t have an answer for Arizona’s 19-1 run in the early stages of the second half.
Arizona’s scoring run was a wave of contributions, but was punctuated by key 3-pointers. Tubelis and Ballo scored baskets on the interior, and it was a pair of 3s from Kriisa and Ramey’s first made basket of the game — also a 3 — that helped the Wildcats push the lead to 53-44 with 13:33 remaining.
After a Washington timeout, the Huskies committed a turnover and Kriisa and Ramey again connected from deep. Tubelis finally capped the run with a layup, giving the Wildcats a 61-45 lead with 11:25 remaining.
Arizona led by as many as 26 points in the closing minutes.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: The Wildcats rediscovered their offensive potency after being held under 65 points in its past two games. Both of those were close victories over UCLA and Washington State, but the Wildcats shot 52% for the game and the 95 points were a season-high in conference play.
Washington: The Huskies lost their 15th straight to ranked opponents and have not knocked off a team ranked in the AP Top 25 since defeating Baylor early in the 2019-20 season.
UP NEXT
Arizona: Hosts Oregon next Thursday.
Washington: At UCLA next Thursday.
