Third-ranked Arizona led for all but 81 seconds Thursday night as it routed host Stanford 85-57.
Oumar Ballo came off the bench to lead five Wildcats in double figures with a game-high 21 points, shooting 7-for-8 from the field. Bennedict Mathurin and Pelle Larsson each scored 13, while reserve Justin Kier added 11 points. Dalen Terry stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
The Wildcats (15-1, 5-0 Pac-12) carved up the Cardinal’s defense, converting 55.4 percent of their field-goal tries and drawing 20 assists off 31 baskets. They also made 17 of 21 free throws.
No one reached double figures for Stanford (10-6, 3-3), which sank just 30 percent of its field-goal attempts and committed 17 turnovers against a lengthy, quick defense. Spencer Jones and Maxime Raynaud each scored nine points for the Cardinal.
Ahead by 11 points as the second half started, Arizona wasted little time putting the game away. The Wildcats started the stanza with an 18-5 run, capped by Ballo’s three-point play with 13:41 left for a 60-36 lead.
After Stanford’s Michael O’Connell started the game by sinking a jumper, Arizona quickly put its stamp on the game by rattling off 12 straight points. Mathurin was the star with eight points, including consecutive 3-pointers for a 10-point advantage at the 15:31 mark.
The lead grew to 18-5 when Mathurin dunked in transition with 11:54 remaining off a Cardinal turnover. That was a frequent storyline in the half. Stanford coughed it up 11 times, living down to its ranking as one of the nation’s leaders in turnovers.
The Wildcats upped the margin to 38-20 on a transition layup by Larsson before the Cardinal finished the half on a positive note. Harrison Ingram canned a 3-pointer off his offensive rebound with five seconds remaining, capping an 11-4 burst that drew the hosts within 42-31 at the break.
The game was played in front of players’ families only, as Stanford has closed public attendance for indoor events due to COVID-19 concerns.
–Field Level Media
