BERKELEY, Calif. -- Arizona isn't the Pac-10 powerhouse it
once was and the Wildcats are fighting for respect in a conference
they once dominated. Slowly, they're getting there.
Jerryd Bayless scored 24 points and made four free throws over
the final nine seconds as Arizona rallied late to beat California
79-75 on Saturday.
Chase Budinger had 21 points and Nic Wise added 15 points and a
career-high seven rebounds for the Wildcats (12-6, 2-3 Pac-10), who
were off to their worst conference start in 25 years before coming
from behind to beat the Bears for the 17th time in the last 19
meetings between the two schools.
"This was a desperation game for us and it was a desperation
game for them, too," said Arizona center Jordan Hill, who had
eight points and four rebounds. "We just decided that we had to
let it all hang out."
California out-shot and out-rebounded Arizona but the Wildcats
made a season-high 11 3-pointers, four each from Budinger and Wise.
It was Arizona's work at the free throw line and its defense
that made the biggest difference down the stretch, though. The
Wildcats went 8-of-9 from the stripe in the final 48 seconds and
held California to one basket during a five-minute stretch after
falling behind 64-58 with 6:21 remaining. That was in stark
contrast to Thursday's 56-52 loss to Stanford when they missed
three lay-ups and two free throws in their last four possessions.
"This was big because we had two games in a row where we didn't
close out," Arizona interim coach Kevin O'Neill said. "Tonight,
we closed out and that's big for us. It's a confidence builder and
something we can work off of."
Ryan Anderson scored 30 points and had seven rebounds for Cal
(11-6, 2-4 Pac-10), which lost for the fourth time in five games.
Devon Hardin added 11 points and five rebounds while Jamal Boykin
came off the bench with 10 points and six rebounds.
But the late scoring drought, coupled with 17 turnovers, proved
too much for Cal to overcome.
"The big thorn for us was turnovers," Bears coach Ben Braun
said. "Those are opportunities that got away from us. Our team has
to value the ball ... and understand some of the decisions we make.
I saw a lot of unforced turnovers."
Anderson scored nine points early in the second half when the
Bears went on a 15-4 run to take a 52-47 lead. Anderson put an
emphatic end to the run with a two-hand dunk that brought the Haas
Pavilion crowd to its feet and had Cal's fans believing the hard
times against Arizona were over.
Instead, the Wildcats weathered the Bears' run and came back
with steady shooting from the perimeter and at the free throw line.
Wise had a pair of 3-pointers in the second half and he later added
a lay-in that tied the game at 64-64 with 4:18 left.
"They were in a zone so we had to go outside to the perimeter
guys," Hill said. "They just started knocking down shots."
Anderson followed with a short basket inside -- the only Cal
basket during a five-minute span when Arizona went on a 12-4 run.
Hill made back-to-back baskets for the Wildcats before Anderson
ended the run with a tip-in off a Patrick Christopher miss.
Arizona then sealed the game at the free throw line while
California scored five points in the final 10 seconds but fell
short.
The first half was a shooting display by Anderson and Budinger,
two of the Pac-10's best sophomores.
Anderson, the Pac-10's leading scorer who is also third in
rebounding, got the Bears off to a quick start by making his first
four shots and scoring 13 points in the first 11 minutes. He made a
pair of 3-pointers and added a three-point play to give Cal an
early 19-12 lead.
Budinger kept pace. Arizona's 6-foot-7 forward converted six of
his first eight attempts and had three 3-pointers to pull the
Wildcats within 35-33 with 3:44 remaining in the first half. After
a short jumper from Cal's Jamal Boykin, Bayless sank back-to-back
3-pointers from almost the same spot on the court to give Arizona
its first lead of the game.
The run came while Anderson was on the bench with a bloody nose.
He left with the Bears ahead 33-29 but returned just before
halftime with Cal trailing 39-37 after going scoreless over the
final 3:29.
Cal played its second game without 7-footer Jordan Wilkes, who
sprained his left ankle late in practice earlier in the week.
Wilkes initially had to wear a walking boot but was in tennis shoes
while sitting on the Bears bench Saturday.