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Big three come through huge for Wildcats: Devour Ducks

Propelled by huge performances from their Big Three, the Arizona Wildcats sidestepped a potential trap game in the venerable Oregon arena known as The Pit.

Chase Budinger scored 25 points on 8 of 12 shooting, Jordan Hill ruled the paint for 24 points on an array of dunks and finger-rolls, and Nic Wise contributed 17 points as the Wildcats defeated the host Oregon Ducks 87-77 in a Saturday matinee in Eugene.

Undaunted by the din generated by a spirited gathering of 8,012 at 82-year-old McArthur Court that attempted to will the Ducks to their first Pac-10 victory of the season, the Wildcats held serve in hostile territory, earning their fourth consecutive conference triumph and fifth straight overall.

With the weekend sweep of the Oregon schools, preceded by victories the previous week at McKale Center over Washington and Washington State, the UA has bounced back from a 2-5 start in the Pac-10. The Wildcats now stand at 6-5 in the league and 16-8 overall heading into home games against USC and UCLA.

Arizona’s standout junior trio of Budinger, Hill and Wise was at the forefront of Saturday’s win. With the Wildcats leading by just two at 45-43 early in the second half, Wise swished a three-pointer from the top of the key and followed with a 14-foot runner in the lane to increase the UA’s advantage to 50-43.

A few minutes later, Arizona embarked upon an 11-0 run, with Wise, Budinger and Hill accounting for all 11 points. Budinger began the blitz with a drive to the basket to put the Wildcats ahead 56-47 with 13:41 remaining. After Hill split a pair of free throws to give the UA a 10-point lead, Wise converted a three-point play (on a layup and foul shot) and then nailed a three-point field goal to make the score 63-47. Hill closed out the Arizona surge with a third-chance basket in the lane to increase the margin to 18.

Hill, a 6-10 forward/center, reached the 1,000-point plateau for his career when he made a free throw with 10:10 left. He added six more points over the ensuing four minutes on a 5-footer off the glass and a pair of emphatic dunks.

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Hill made 10 of 17 field goals on the day and also pulled down eight rebounds.

Budinger grabbed nine rebounds to go with his 25 points. The 6-7 wing ended Oregon’s comeback hopes when he knocked down a three-pointer from the right baseline to put the Wildcats ahead 80-66 with 2:21 remaining. Fifty-two seconds later, Budinger converted a layup off of an offensive rebound to increase the UA’s lead to 82-66.

Arizona shot 55.6 percent from the field on the day and made 11 of 20 attempts from three-point territory.

Oregon (6-17, 0-11) converted 12 of 30 shots from long range. The Ducks were led by junior point guard Tajuan Porter, who made five triples on the way to a team-high 21 points. Freshman forward Drew Wiley also swished five three-pointers for Oregon and finished with 18 points.

By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer