National Basketball Association
Arizona 66, Gonzaga 63
When: 5:15 PM ET, Saturday, December 6, 2014
Where: McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona
Officials:
# Kevin Brill, # Deidre Carr, # Michael Greenstein
Attendance:
14655
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 3 Arizona 66, No. 8 Gonzaga 63 (OT): T.J. McConnell scored 12 points - including all six of his team’s points in overtime – as the Wildcats held off the visiting Bulldogs.
Brandon Ashley came on late in the second half and led Arizona (8-0) with 14 points while Kaleb Tarczewski and Stanley Johnson added 11 apiece. The victory also allowed the Wildcats to increase their regular-season winning streak in non-conference games to a Division I-best 35 games.
Kyle Wiltjer paced Gonzaga (7-1) with 15 points while Gary Bell Jr. contributed 12 as the Bulldogs shot a season-low 39.7 percent and were held 25 points below their scoring average. Przemek Karnowski finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds while Byron Wesley tallied 10 points to round out the double-digit scorers for Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs turned to Karnowski in the second half and he responded with consecutive jumpers to give Gonzaga a 37-31 edge with just over 15 minutes left. Tarczewski countered with a three-point play and scored nine of the Wildcats’ next 13 points as Arizona closed within one twice on scores from their junior center over the next six minutes, but nine combined points from Bell and Wiltjer helped the Bulldogs restore their six-point margin with 4:05 to go.
Ashley converted buckets on three straight possessions as Arizona pulled even at 60-60 with 1:29 left and Gonzaga missed its final three shots of regulation to send the game into the extra period. McConnell hit a pair of pull-up jumpers and two free throws to stake the Wildcats to a three-point advantage with 16 seconds to go before the Wildcats fouled Wesley on a 3-point attempt with three seconds left, but the USC transfer badly missed all three free throws.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Arizona extended its home winning streak to 26 games. … The Bulldogs doubled the Wildcats on the offensive glass (14-7), accounting for most of their overall rebounding margin (39-31). … Gonzaga (54.5 percent, second) and Arizona (49.5, 30th) entered Saturday sporting two of the top 30 field-goal percentages in Division I, but shot 31 and 32.1 percent, respectively, in the first half.
Top Game Performances
| Gonzaga |
|
Arizona |
|
Kyle Wiltjer 15 |
Scoring |
Brandon Ashley 14 |
|
Kevin Pangos 6 |
Assists |
Parker Jackson-Cartwright 3 |
|
Przemek Karnowski 11 |
Rebounds |
Kaleb Tarczewski 7 |
|
Domantas Sabonis 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Stanley Johnson 4 |
|
Kyle Dranginis 2 |
Steals |
T.J. McConnell 3 |
|
Byron Wesley 1 |
Blocks |
Brandon Ashley 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Gonzaga
|
63 |
39.7 |
4-17 |
13-19 |
11 |
34 |
1 |
5 |
13 |
| Arizona
|
66 |
44.2 |
6-17 |
14-22 |
13 |
30 |
1 |
7 |
13 |
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