Third-Ranked Utah Has Wind Knocked Out of It by Arizona

By JASON REID

Dec. 8, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

Chasing Arizona all over the floor was enough to wear out Utah--but that was only half the story.

Arizona likes the pace fast whether it has the ball or not, so Utah couldn’t rest on offense either during the first game of the John R. Wooden Classic. And once Arizona got going, weary Utah realized where it was headed: to its first loss.

Overwhelming the third-ranked Utes with their superior quickness, the Wildcats erased a 13-point, second-half deficit Saturday in a 69-61 victory before 8,463 at the Pond of Anaheim.

The Wildcats began the game believing they had one big advantage over the Utes. Afterward, the evidence was everywhere.

“We wanted to create some room to work one on one because we thought we could have some success with that,” said Wildcat Coach Lute Olson, whose 15th-ranked team likely will move up in the next poll.

“We wanted our guards to make things happen with their penetration and we wanted to try to wear them down. I think we did.”

No argument from Utah Coach Rick Majerus.

“They disrupted us, but we allowed them to do that to a certain extent,” said Majerus, who looked every bit as exhausted as his players. “It was definitely a case of where we wore down and they wore us down. We need to work on our conditioning a little bit.”

The Wildcats (3-1) had a bounce in their step throughout, although they couldn’t find the basket early on. They shot 36.7% in the first half, attributing much of the problem to the Utes’ strong front line of forwards Keith Van Horn and Hanno Mottola and center Michael Doleac. The Utes (4-1) held a 40-29 halftime lead.

But then Arizona clicked.

Utah labored against Arizona’s full-court press and swarming man-to-man defense, and guard Jason Terry scored nine points in a 10-1 run over 3 1/2 minutes. When it ended, Arizona had a 63-56 lead with 4:01 left to play. Terry led Arizona with 19 points and point guard Mike Bibby, son of USC Coach Henry Bibby, scored 16.

Star Arizona swingman Michael Dickerson began the game averaging 27.3 points, but he was limited to 17 while making only six of 21 field-goal attempts. But Dickerson contributed several key second-half baskets and played tough defense as Arizona outscored Utah, 25-6, over a 10-minute stretch.

“Defensively, our intensity got to them in the second half,” Terry said. “You could see they were tired.”

Van Horn was the weariest Ute. The All-American forward from Diamond Bar was a non-factor in a second half dominated by Arizona.

Van Horn had 14 points by halftime, but Arizona then focused its defensive scheme on stopping Van Horn. The plan worked.

Arizona forward Bennett Davison, who had 10 points and seven rebounds, zeroed in on Van Horn, preventing him from receiving the ball. With Davison guarding him for most of the half, Van Horn missed all four of his shots and scored only one point in the final 20 minutes.

“The job Bennett Davison did on Van Horn was outstanding,” Olson said. “That was a big key.”

Overall, Van Horn was three for 12 from the field. Van Horn realized what was happening at the time, but his body didn’t help him much.

With Van Horn a non-factor, Utah’s offense disappeared.

A layup by guard Drew Hansen gave Utah a 50-38 lead with 14:38 to play, but the Utes wouldn’t score again until Mottola converted one of two free throws with 4:22 left. By that point, Arizona led, 61-56, and was in control.

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Wooden Classic Scores

1994

* Kansas: 81

* Massachusetts: 75

* UCLA: 82

* Kentucky: 81

Attendance: 18,307

1995

* Villanova: 67

* Purdue: 50

* UCLA: 82