UA Wildcats basketball
Cats hold on to beat Stanford, will play for share of first place
Miller: Offensive rebounding key to victory
The University of Arizona men’s basketball team won its third straight game by holding off Stanford 76-68 Thursday night at McKale Center.
The Wildcats will play for a share of first place in the Pac-10 when they host California at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Arizona.
“It’s a huge game, a great opportunity,’’ said UA coach Sean Miller, on his postgame show on KCUB-AM (1290), about facing Cal.
UA, 11-9 overall, 5-3 in Pacific-10 Conference play, had a 12-point lead with 2:31 to play, but Stanford (10-10, 4-4) pulled with 71-67 on a 3-pointer by Jeremy Green with 25 seconds left.
UA’s Nic Wise made a free throw with 20 seconds left, missed the second, but grabbed the rebound and was fouled again with 18 seconds left. Wise made both for a 74-67 lead.
UA shot just 32.8 percent from the field, but the Wildcats grabbed 19 offensive rebounds and had 20 second-chance points. Miller said that UA’s offensive rebounding was crucial.
“Three or four weeks ago, we would not have been able to win this game,’’ he told KCUB-AM
Derrick Williams had 23 points to lead UA, Kyle Fogg had 15 and Wise had 14. Landry Fields had 31 points and Green 25 for Stanford.
California (14-6, 6-2) beat Arizona State 78-70 Thursday night in Tempe.
