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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- The day was to honor Arizona coach Lute
Olson, but Arizona State almost spoiled the party.
Fourth-ranked Arizona, which will have to do without 7-foot-1
center Loren Woods for at least the rest of the regular season,
nearly blew a 21-point first-half lead Saturday but pulled away in
the last 3½ minutes to beat Arizona State 89-82.
Gilbert Arenas scored 29 and Luke Walton 23, career bests for
the two freshmen, as the Wildcats (24-4, 13-1 Pac-10) defeated the
Sun Devils for the 10th consecutive time. Michael Wright had 16
points and 14 rebounds, including two crucial offensive rebounds in
the final minutes.
With Woods out with a back injury and Richard Jefferson a week
away from returning from a broken foot, the resilient young
Wildcats came through again in a tough situation.
"We've had plenty of challenges, more than we need probably,"
Olson said. "But I said all along that we have good people in this
program and we have great competitors in this program. Somebody is
ready to step in and do the job for us."
Arizona State rallied to cut the lead to 73-70 with 3:27 to
play, but the Wildcats pulled it out.
After the game, the Wildcats held a ceremony to name the McKale
Center playing surface Olson Court.
Olson has compiled a 419-124 record in 17 seasons at Arizona. At
McKale, Olson's teams are 257-26. Under Olson, the Wildcats are
29-5 against Arizona State.
He said he would preferred the honor came after his retirement,
but athletic director Jim Livengood said that wasn't an option.
"It will be a strange feeling," Olson said, "but it's much
appreciated."
Alton Mason scored all of his career-high 18 points in the last
6:10 of the game for the Sun Devils (16-10, 8-6), who had won four
in a row. His layup after an Arizona turnover cut the lead to 73-70
with 3:27 to play. But the Sun Devils went cold from the field
after that and Wright took over the boards.
Eddie House, the Pac-10's leading scorer, had a miserable game
and was on the bench in foul trouble during ASU's late surge.
House, who will finish his college career never having beaten
Arizona, was 3-for-15 from the field for seven points, nearly 17
below his average. In Arizona State's 82-55 home loss to the
Wildcats in January, House was 4-for-14 and scored eight points.
"I had a bad game but I can't dwell on it," House said. "I
played hard but my shots just weren't falling today. I am more
upset by the loss than by how I played."
Most of the night, Arizona went man-to-man against House, when
Arenas usually getting the assignment.
"I watched a lot of film on him to see what he does," Arenas
said. "I wanted to see how he moved and then I tried to stay with
him."
Chad Prewitt scored 16 for ASU.
Arizona, which won its 28th consecutive Pac-10 home game, raced
to a 23-4 lead with a 16-0 outburst in the game's first 10:33.
Justin Wessel, who replaced Woods in the starting lineup, sank a
10-footer to give the Wildcats their biggest lead of the half
35-14. But Arizona State scored the last nine points of the half,
capped by a 3-pointer by Kyle Dodd at the buzzer to make it 35-23.
Arizona State cut the lead to seven twice early in the second
half. The Wildcats moved out to a 17-point lead, but the Sun Devils
managed the final rally to cut it to three.
"That's when character shows," Olson said.
Wright's rebound basket boosted the lead to 75-70. With 1:02 to
play and Arizona leading 81-74, Walton missed two free throws, but
Wright got the rebound, was fouled and sank two free throws to make
it 83-74 with 59.1 seconds to play.
House's final shot before fouling out was a 3-point air ball.
"We have to have Eddie getting baskets to win a game," Arizona
State coach Rob Evans said. "They did a good job on him up in
Phoenix and they did a good job here today. They've got good
athletes, they've got good players. I think they did a tremendous
job of guarding him. They made him work, give them credit."
The Sun Devils were called for eight fouls in the second half
before the Wildcats got their first. In the game, Arizona State was
called for 33 fouls, compared with Arizona's 14. Arizona was
30-for-44 from the free throw line, while Arizona State was
14-for-16.
Woods, who has missed two games, will be out at least another
two weeks with a compression injury to his lower back. The earliest
he could return would be the first game of the NCAA Tournament.
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Arizona State Clubhouse
Arizona Clubhouse
Arizona center Woods out at least two more weeks
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