TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) Arizona traded baskets with Washington’s athletic players in an entertaining first half.
Once the Wildcats turned up the defensive pressure in the final 20 minutes, the Huskies had no shot of keeping up.
Ryan Anderson scored 21 points, Kaleb Tarczewski had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 18 Arizona overpowered Washington for a 99-67 victory Thursday night.
“They just did whatever they wanted in the second half,” Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said.
The Wildcats (14-3, 2-2 Pac-12) had no trouble scoring despite playing their first game without star freshman and leading scorer Allonzo Trier (hand).
Arizona shot 60 percent, including 19 of 27 in the second half, and outscored Washington 50-32 in the paint. Parker Jackson-Cartwright was the setup man, finishing with 11 assists and one turnover, while Kadeem Allen scored 13 points and Gabe York added 12.
Defensively, the Wildcats had trouble handling the Huskies’ quickness off the dribble and ability to get to the rim.
Arizona shut Washington down in the second half with a tenacious man-to-man defense and a bit of 2-3 zone – a first by Arizona coach Sean Miller in 12 years – to extend its home winning streak to a nation-best 48 games.
“Once we went into halftime, our defense went to another level,” Miller said.
Washington (11-5, 3-1) played without a key backup on the front line and was no match for the beefier Wildcats inside.
Arizona had a 43-26 advantage on the glass against the Pac-12’s top rebounding team and closed off the lanes to the basket in the second half to turn the game into a rout.
Noah Dickerson had 17 points and Marquese Chriss added 13 for the Huskies. Andrew Andrews, the Pac-12’s leading scorer, battled foul trouble and scored nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.
“Because of the level of team they are, you don’t have any margin for error,” Romar said. “And they made us pay for it.”
The young Huskies arrived at McKale Center as the surprising leaders of the Pac-12.
Picked to finish 11th, Washington and its seven freshmen opened conference play with three straight victories behind Andrews and Dejounte Murray, who have accounted for 53 percent of its scoring.
Arizona returned home in need of a lift.
The Wildcats had a lost Southern California weekend after being swept by UCLA and USC, and lost Trier for at least a month after he was injured in the quadruple-overtime loss to the Trojans.
Washington was missing a key player of its own; freshman forward Devenir Duruisseau, a backup forward, suffered a concussion in Monday’s practice and didn’t make the trip.
That left the Huskies thin up front and the Wildcats took advantage by pounding the ball inside with a lineup that at times included 7-footers Tarczewski and Dusan Ristic at the same time.
Anderson was the beneficiary, scoring 15 points and Arizona used an 8-2 run to lead 44-41 at halftime.
“Every game, that’s one of our mottos, to play aggressive inside,” Anderson said. “We’re bigger than most teams and we’ve got to use that.”
Washington struggled with foul trouble and Andrews rolled his right ankle late in the first half, yet the Huskies used their athleticism to keep up with the Wildcats. Chriss had 11 points and Washington made 17 of 33 shots in the first half.
Arizona threw the first punch in the second half and the Huskies had no answer.
The Wildcats went on 12-4 run to go up 56-45 and extended the lead to 22 points on consecutive inside baskets by Anderson.
Washington’s good shooting dried up against Arizona’s pressure in the second half.
The Huskies made 10 of 33 shots and Andrews had to sit after picking up his fourth foul at 13:02. By the time he returned, Arizona was well on its way to the victory.
PJC DISHES
Jackson-Cartwright didn’t start at point guard, but ended up being the catalyst, pushing the ball in transition every time the frontcourt players ripped down defensive rebounds.
“So many great plays he was involved in that led to a 3-point shot or a dunk,” Miller said. “He was in total control out there.”
TIP-INS
Washington: Washington was 2 for 12 on 3-pointers in the second half. … Murray had eight points on 8-of-12 shooting and six turnovers in his first game at McKale Center.
Arizona: Junior guard Elliott Pitts missed his ninth straight game due to unspecified personal reasons. … The Wildcats have won 22 straight Pac-12 games at home. … Arizona has scored at least 80 points in nine straight games, its longest streak since 11 straight in 1997-98.
UP NEXT
Washington plays at Arizona State on Saturday.
Arizona hosts Washington State on Saturday.
