20070115 Cats Lose to Ducks on Last-Second Shot

TUCSON?Aaron Brooks followed an Arizona turnover with the winning shot with two seconds remaining to lift No. 15 Oregon over No. 10 Arizona, 79-77, Sunday night in McKale Center.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Brooks drove and banked a shot high off the glass on a play beginning with 18 seconds left.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Mustafa Skakur spoiled an otherwise gutsy effort ? five assists and 21 points ? by losing the ball on a drive with the shot clock winding down with about 25 seconds left. <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> called timeout and ran a play that let Brooks free-lance and take the ball to the bucket. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:State> coach <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39523"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39523">Lute Olson</A></A> called timeout twice but only got a desperation three-point shot from <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=186162"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=186162">Marcus Williams</A></A> that fell short of the rim.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The final score was the 12th lead change of the closely-played game. <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>’s three-point shooting and balanced scoring ? four players in double figures ? helped them steal a road victory in McKale. Brooks and Bryce Taylor had 21 points each for <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>, while Malik Hairston added 18 and Maarty Leunen put in 14. <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:State> was led by a career-high 34 points by Williams, who added 12 boards for a double-double. <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=68648"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=68648">Jawann McClellan</A></A> added 12 points for UA, while <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39534"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39534">Ivan Radenovic</A></A> had a team-high 13 rebounds. Leunen doubled for UO, too, with 14 rebounds. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> improved to 16-1 overall and 4-1 in league play, dropping the Wildcats to 13-3 and 4-2. UO's defense hampered Arizona's passing game, limiting the Wildcats to 13 assists on 28 made baskets. Oregon did a good job defensively on UA forward <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=542241"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=542241">Chase Budinger</A></A>, limiting him to four points, and also limited Radenovic to his point total on 2-for-9 shooting. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The Ducks hit 13 of 26 three-point shots for what proved to be a key to the margin. <st1:State w:st="on">Arizona</st1:State> made only three of its 15 three-point shots and both teams hit 28 buckets, with many of <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:State>’s coming inside. <o:p></o:p> <o:p>* * *</o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> came out to start the second half and hit three three-pointers plus a three-point play the old way in the first two-plus minutes to take a five-point lead, 49-44. The Cats chipped away with a pair of free throws by <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39534"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39534">Ivan Radenovic</A></A>. Bryce Taylor answered with a pair of bonus shots to keep UO up by five, but Williams also hit a pair.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Aaron Brooks drove to push UO back up by five, and then Malik Hairston had a put-back to give UO its biggest lead to that point, 55-49, and it stood until the first media timeout, at 14:03.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The Cats went on a 7-0 run to retake the lead. Back-to-back turnovers put the ball back in UA’s possession, and <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=68648"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=68648">Jawann McClellan</A></A> hit a jumper. After a loose ball dropped out of bounds in UA’s favor at the other end, Radenovic worked for a four footer to make it a two-point game. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> UA got a steal underneath UO’s basket and Shakur drew a foul on a layin, making the free throw to give UA a one-point lead, 56-55, and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> called time out at 12:19.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> But the Ducks went on a little run of their own. Hairston had a tough put-back to regain the lead for <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>, and then Maarty Leunen made a strong inside move to make it a four-point margin. Then the Ducks had good ball movement to find Leunen open for a three-pointer to make it 62-56.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Shakur stopped the run with a short jumper, and then Williams had an old-fashioned three-point play on a break to help UA move to within one, 62-61 at the 10-minute mark.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Shakur put in a lead pass from <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=542241"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=542241">Chase Budinger</A></A> off the latter’s steal to regain a momentary lead for UA, but Leunen again had a good inside move for the 10th lead change of the game, 64-63 UO. Brooks took it to the hole a minute later to make it a three-point lead at the television time out at 7:17.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Williams added two free throws to cut it to one, but a foul by Shakur sent Brooks to the line for a pair and he made both to keep <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> up by three.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> A pair of defensive plays and breakaway buckets helped UA regain the lead and electrified the crowd of 14,562 with around six minutes left.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=186162"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=186162">Marcus Williams</A></A> tapped a steal and drove all the way for a dunk, and <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39534"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39534">Ivan Radenovic</A></A> blocked a shot to lead to a fastbreak layup by <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39542"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39542">Mustafa Shakur</A></A> to give UA a 71-68 lead, and Willaims added another dunk moments later. But <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State> fought back, with a Brooks jumper and a pair of free throws by <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Taylor</st1:place></st1:City> cut it to one, 73-72, with four minutes left.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Williams scored the next four points on free throws to push UA to a five-point lead inside the three-minute mark, but Taylor also hit a pair at the other end to trim the lead to three, 77-74, with 2:27 remaining, when UA coach <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39523"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39523">Lute Olson</A></A> called a timeout.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The Cats worked for a shot by Shakur but it fell short of the rim and a shot-clock violation gave the ball to UO ? and Brooks knocked down a three to tie the game at the 1:54 mark.<o:p></o:p> Each team missed shots before the final half-minute played out.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> * * *<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The pace of the game was up and down throughout, and no more so than in the first half, when Williams put up 13 of UA’s first 20 points and 17 total in the period, while Taylor scored 15 for Oregon.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The game was inside by <st1:State w:st="on">Arizona</st1:State> and outside by <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>, for much of the half. The Ducks put up 20 three-pointers, making eight, while <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:State> scored 11 of its 16 field goals on layins or short-range shots inside six feet.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The Ducks drew first blood with a three-pointer by Tajuan Porter off the break. <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39542"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39542">Mustafa Shakur</A></A> answered with a drive for a layup, but <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Taylor</st1:place></st1:City> hit another three for UO. Shakur put in a three to make it 6-5 Oregon after three minutes, and after a Malik Hairston layup, UA’s <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=186162"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=186162">Marcus Williams</A></A> tied the game with a three-pointer.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Williams drove on the break for a layin to give UA its first lead, 10-8, at the 16-minute mark. After a bucket by Maarty Leunen, Shakur left a handoff for <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=68648"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=68648">Jawann McClellan</A></A>, drove drove the baseline for a dunk to put UA up, 12-10, at the first media timeout at 15:02.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> UO regained the lead on a <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Taylor</st1:place></st1:City> close-in scoop shot, 13-12, and a minute later Aaron Brooks had another layup to make it 15-12. But Williams answered with a jumper, and moments later his a three to put UA on top, 17-15. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=68642"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=68642">Daniel Dillon</A></A> stole the ball underneath UO’s basket, and Radenovic found Williams underneath for a layup, with Chamberlain Oguchi fouling him on the play. He made the bonus shot for a 20-15 lead at the 11:33 mark.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> The Ducks, who had 10 three-point shots to the point, went inside, with Adam Zahn drawing a foul. But he missed both shots. The next time down the floor, <st1:City w:st="on">Taylor</st1:City> drilled another trey to make it 20-18 <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:State>.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Leunen drained a trey from the top of the key to put <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> back on top, 21-20, and UA coach <A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39523"><A class=ARTICLELINK href="/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=39523">Lute Olson</A></A> called time out at the 8:04 mark.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> A minute later, Brooks shot over UA’s zone defense for another three and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> had a 24-20 lead. Shortly afterward, Shakur scored on a fastbreak layin to cut the lead to two, and Williams scored on another break, but Malik Hairston dropped in a long-range jumper to put UO up by three. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> UA answered with another layup by McClellan to cut it to one, and then Williams drove all the way to the bucket on the break to put <st1:State w:st="on">Arizona</st1:State> ahead, 28-27, and <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State> coach Ernie Kent called time out. UA stepped it up again with inside pressure, and Shakur dropped one off the glass close in for a three-point UA lead at the final media timeout of the half, 3:57.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Radenovic answered a Leunen bucket with a short hook shot to keep <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Arizona</st1:place></st1:State> up by three, and after a missed UO bucket, McClellan laid one in off a Williams’ assist to put UA up five.<o:p></o:p> <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Taylor</st1:place></st1:City>, however, dropped in a three from 20 feet.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Budinger got a layin off a Shakur assist, and when UO missed at its end, Shakur drew a foul driving, and he made both for a six-point lead with 1:36 left. Moments later, <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Taylor</st1:place></st1:City> dropped in another three-pointer. UA turned it over and Joevan Catron worked for a layup at the other end to close the first-half scoring and trim the lead to one.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> <o:p> </o:p>

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20070115 Cats Lose to Ducks on Last-Second Shot