Pac-10 Conference Notebook
by Scott Allen
One week after several teams suffered their first loss of the conference season, USC picked up its first win against Arizona State. Meanwhile, the Pac-10’s other desert dwellers picked up a pair of wins and Stanford kept its momentum going with a win at rival Cal. Washington maintained its hold on the conference’s top spot with two convincing wins against the Oregon schools.
Team of the Week: Arizona Wildcats
Washington’s two wins were impressive, but Arizona gets the nod after knocking off UCLA in a tight game (see below) to complete its own weekend sweep. The wins, which came on the heels of Arizona’s upset loss at Stanford, kept the ‘Cats within a half-game of the Pac-10 leading Huskies.
Game of the Week: Arizona 76, UCLA 73
Salim Stoudamire drilled a three-pointer from the top of the key with 2.5 seconds left to give the Wildcats the lead and Arizona managed to hang on despite a bizarre turn of events in the closing seconds. After Stoudamire’s three-pointer, Hassan Adams stole the ensuing inbounds pass and was fouled immediately, seemingly icing the game for Arizona. But the Wildcats’ bench was called for a technical foul after two players rushed onto the court to celebrate with 1.2 seconds still on the clock. UCLA’s Jordan Farmar missed both technical free throws, however, dashing any hopes of a most unlikely comeback.
Player of the Week: Salim Stoudamire, Arizona
In and out of head coach Lute Olson’s doghouse throughout his career at Arizona, the only thing Stoudamire was in last weekend was the zone. The senior scored 53 points in two games and drilled nine three-pointers, including the game-winner against the Bruins.
Freshmen of the Week: Nick Young, USC, and Bryce Taylor, Oregon
Young averaged 20 points in two games and scored 22 to lead the Trojans to their first Pac-10 win of the season at Arizona State. Taylor averaged 21 points against the Washington schools and connected on 10-of-14 shots as part of a 26-point outing in the Ducks’ win at Washington State.
Around the Pac-10
Arizona (14-3, 4-1)
Back at the McKale Center, the ‘Cats shook off their loss to Stanford with two impressive wins over the Los Angeles schools. Chris Rodgers scored a game-high 22 points off the bench to spark Arizona in a 77-68 win over USC on Thursday. Rodgers’ career night, which included a team-high four assists, helped Arizona overcome the ineffectiveness of starting point guard Mustfa Shakur, who was held scoreless for the first time in his career. Senior shooting guard Salim Stoudamire added 21 points and shot 5-for-9 from beyond the arc.
The Wildcats completed the home sweep with a 76-73 win over UCLA two days later. Stoudamire scored 24 of Arizona’s last 29 points and 32 in the game to help the ‘Cats overcome a four-point halftime deficit. Stoudamire’s three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left put Arizona up for good. Shakur rebounded from his poor outing against USC with seven points, seven rebounds and four assists. Channing Frye added 15 points and Ivan Radenovich a career-high 14 rebounds for Arizona, which shot 20-for-25 from the free throw line.
Up Next: Thursday at Oregon, Saturday at Oregon State
Arizona State (13-4, 2-3)
Riding high after a Bay area sweep of Cal and Stanford, the Sun Devils were brought back down with a pair of losses. The first, an 86-82 defeat at UCLA, was nothing to hang their heads about, but a 98-94 loss to reeling USC could prove devastating. Against the Bruins, Kevin Kruger led four Sun Devils in double figures with 18 points off the bench and Arizona State was in the game despite shooting just 27 percent from beyond the arc. The Sun Devils were burned in transition on numerous occasions and Ike Diogu was limited to 15 points on 6-for-16 shooting.
Diogu matched that total against USC and got plenty of offensive support, as six Sun Devils finished in double figures. But Arizona State’s defense allowed the Trojans to shoot 55 percent from the field and 8-for-16 from long range. The 98 points allowed were the most the Sun Devils’ had allowed at home since 1988. Serge Angounou scored a career-high 20 points in the loss.
Up Next: Thursday at Oregon State, Saturday at Oregon
California (8-7, 1-4)
The return of point guard Ayinde Ubaka, who missed the previous 11 games with a foot injury, was not enough for the Bears to avoid their third straight loss, a 74-58 setback to Stanford at home. Ubaka did not start, but finished with five points and three rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. Cal shot 22 percent in the first half, headed into the first half down 15 and trailed by as much as 20 in a game almost as lopsided as the Bears’ football team’s 41-6 drubbing of Stanford in Big Game. Rod Benson scored 18 of his career-high 24 points in the second half and also added 11 rebounds, but Cal got no production from starters Marquise Kately (0-for-8 from the field) or junior walk-on Martin Smith (0-for-6).
Up Next: Thursday at USC, Saturday at UCLA
Oregon (11-3, 3-2)
The Ducks suffered their worst lost of the season at Washington 77-56, before salvaging their trip north with a 55-52 win over Washington State. From the opening tip, it was clear Oregon didn’t have the firepower to hang with the high-octane Huskies on the road. The Ducks trailed 19-2 midway through the first half, committing nine of their 13 first-half turnovers in the first nine minutes. Freshman Bryce Taylor scored a game-high 16 points and fellow frosh Maarty Leunen added seven points and 10 boards in defeat.
Taylor had no trouble figuring out the Cougars’ defense two days later, draining his first six three-point shots en route to a career-high 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting. Taylor single-handedly carried the Ducks to victory, as freshman Malik Hairston, who finished with 10 points, was the only other Oregon player to score more than six points. It was Oregon’s seventh consecutive victory over Washington State.
Up Next: Thursday vs. Arizona, Saturday vs. Arizona State
Oregon State (10-6, 2-3)
It was a weekend to forget for the Beavers, who lost two games in Washington by a combined 58 points. The Beavers shot just 31 percent at Washington State Thursday and never recovered after falling behind 15-1 in the early going. David Lucas led the Beavers with 12 points and six rebounds but committed five of Oregon State’s 17 turnovers.
Saturday’s 108-68 loss to Washington was even uglier. Oregon State trailed by 25 at the half, thanks to a 24-0 Washington run. The Beavers were outrebounded 45-23 and allowed the Huskies to shoot 57 percent from the field. Oregon State head coach Jay John was taken to the hospital in an ambulance at halftime after complaining about chest pain and shortness of breath. He was held overnight for observation but was expected to be released Sunday.
Up Next: Thursday vs. Arizona State, Saturday vs. Arizona
Stanford (8-7, 2-3)
The Cardinal avoided a letdown after their upset of Arizona last week with an impressive 74-58 victory at Cal. Junior point guard Chris Hernandez drilled the first of his season-high five three-pointers after the Cardinal controlled the opening tip and scored 19 points to lead Stanford, which held the Bears to 32 percent shooting. Junior shooting guard Dan Grunfeld added 18 and senior center Rob Little recorded his second straight double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. With forward Matt Haryasz limited to 11 minutes due to foul trouble, senior Nick Robinson picked up the slack with 11 points and seven rebounds and helped the Cardinal build a 15-point halftime lead.
Up Next: Thursday at UCLA, Saturday at USC
UCLA (10-4, 4-2)
Freshman Jordan Farmar led the Bruins with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists in an 86-82 victory over Arizona State Thursday in Tempe, Ariz. Dijon Thompson added 19 points and freshman Arron Affalo 17 for UCLA, which shot 51 percent from the field. The Bruins led by one at the break and by as many as nine in the second half, doing just enough defensively against Ike Diogu to prevent the big man from bringing the Sun Devils back.
The Bruins came up on the short end of a shooter’s duel between Thompson and Arizona’s Salim Stoudamire in a 76-73 loss at the McKale Center Saturday. Thompson finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds on 10-for-16 shooting, but Stoudamire capped his 32-point effort with a three-pointer to give the Wildcats the lead for good with 2.5 seconds to play. Affalo and Farmar combined for 28 points but the duo’s stellar play was not enough to over the Bruins’ 23 turnovers.
Up Next: Thursday vs. Stanford, Saturday vs. Cal
USC (9-9, 1-5)
After playing well in a 77-68 loss to Arizona, the Trojans picked up their first Pac-10 win of the season two days later with a 98-94 victory over Arizona State. USC shot 52 percent against the Wildcats and got 18 point from freshman Nick Young. Jeff McMillan and Gabriel Pruitt combined for 23 points off the bench for the Trojans, who committed 22 turnovers.
USC shot even better at Arizona State – 55 percent as a team – and Young led the way yet again with a career-high 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Sophomore guard Lodrick Stewart added 19 and the Trojans’ defense held Ike Diogu to 15 points and five rebounds. Interim coach Jim Saia altered his starting lineup with center Rory O’Neil and Pruitt coming off the bench to combine for 20 points.
Up Next: Thursday vs. Cal, Saturday vs. Stanford
Washington (15-2, 5-1)
The Huskies had an easy time with the Oregon schools, drilling the Ducks 77-56 before dismantling the Beavers 108-68 at home. Tre Simmons and Bobby Jones scored 15 points apiece against Oregon, as the Huskies forced 22 turnovers to help overcome a poor shooting night from long range (4-for-17). Junior forward Jamaal Williams added 14 points off the bench.
Williams capped off his stellar weekend with 24 points against Oregon State, shooting 10-of-13 from the field and also adding six rebounds. Simmons scored a game-high 26 and Nate Robinson chipped in 15 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. The Huskies scored over 100 points for the fourth time this season and the first time in Pac-10 play.
Up Next: Sunday vs. Washington State
Washington State (8-7, 3-3)
The Cougars earned a split against the Oregon schools, opening with a 63-45 win over Oregon State before falling to Oregon 55-52. Jeff Varem led the way with 14 points and 13 rebounds against the Beavers, while guards Thomas Kelati and Kyle Weavers added 11 and 12 points, respectively.
Varem was held to nine points against Oregon, however, and the Cougars had no answer for Oregon’s Bryce Taylor, who finished with 26 points. Freshman point guard Derrick Low matched his career-high with 10 points and Kelati scored 15 points in defeat.
Up Next: Sunday at Washington
