SEATTLE β Washingtonβs Markelle Fultz bulldozed his way through the Arizona defense Saturday, taking 15 free throws and making key plays down the stretch that nearly gave his beleaguered Huskies the kind of signature win they sorely needed.
Sean Miller had the perfect antidote sitting nearby on the bench. But Kadeem Allen was wearing a splint on his right pinkie finger.
And, even though the UAβs top defender was wearing full game gear and went through pregame warmups, Miller said he wasnβt tempted to play Allen during UAβs 76-68 win at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
Besides, Miller had enough. Just barely.
The UA received 26 points and 13 rebounds from Lauri Markkanen while getting some hometown heroics from Allonzo Trier (21 points), another strong inside game from Chance Comanche (13 points and seven rebounds) while successfully sprinkling in some rare zone defense to hold off the Huskies after they shot 57.7 percent in the first half.
βThese games are not easy,β Markkanen said. βWe had two guys out but we found a way.β
They found their way to 25-3 and 14-1 in the Pac-12, where UA maintained its one-game first-place lead over Oregon, which swept Utah and Colorado this week. Washington dropped to 9-18 and 2-13.
Miller says Allen should be available against USC and UCLA over the next week, and risking that possibility wasnβt worth it to him. Maybe to Allen, the teamβs best defender and probably most dogged overall individual, but not to Miller.
βIn that situation itβs important you listen to the trainer, Justin (Kokoskie), not Kadeem,β Miller said. βIt wasnβt in Kadeemβs best interest to play. He could have really hurt himself, so weβre not going to put him at risk.β
While the prolific inside production of Markkanen and Comanche helped offset the Wildcatsβ other recent calamity, a left ankle sprain that kept center Dusan Ristic sidelined and, according to Miller, might linger into next week.
But it was largely up to Trier to try to take care of Fultz, while also pacing the perimeter offense.
It was an exhausting balancing act. Trier played 33 minutes, shot 6 for 10 from the field and went 5-of-8 from the line β while picking up four fouls, gesturing in marked frustration twice when called for fouling Fultz as he drove inside.
βHe had a couple of tough fouls,β Miller said of Trier. βMarkelle Fultz really puts you in a bind. It feels like youβre fouling him. Thatβs why he got to the line as many times as he did. Heβs a heck of a player.β
Fultz was 10 of 15 from the free-throw line while scoring 26 points overall, and two of his free throws made it a one-possession game, 71-68, with 1:45 left.
But after Markkanen missed a hook shot, giving Washington a chance to tie the game or cut it to one, Washingtonβs Carlos Johnson was called for a charge as he drove to the basket.
On the UAβs ensuing possession, Markkanen missed a 3-pointer but Comanche dunked in the rebound to make it 73-68 and effectively put it away.
Fultz also made the UAβs life difficult in the first half, hitting a 3-pointer with seven seconds left before the first-half buzzer to pull Washington into a 42-42 tie at halftime. Washington kept it close early in the second half, while the Wildcats pulled out their zone defense.
Arizona then went ahead by nine, 67-58, when Markkanen hit a pair of free throws with 7:20 left, before the game became tighter in the final minutes and Fultz appeared again.
Things were tougher for Fultz three weeks ago at McKale Center, when he had to work hard for his 16 points and nine rebounds in UAβs 77-66 win over Washington. He was 8 for 23 from the field and 0 for 4 from 3-point territory in that game.
But Allen was the primary defender on him in that one, with help from Trier. On Saturday, it was Trier and a little bit of Rawle Alkins.
βIt was tough,β Trier said. βHeβs a good player. He challenged me. I tried to challenge him and make it tough. I did the best I could to help my team win.
βAny time you play against a guy thatβs really aggressive on offense like thatβ¦ I tried to do the best I could to stay in front of him. But heβs at home. Heβs going to try to go right at me. Heβs going to get some calls.β
But Trier was up for it, maybe more than ever. Because while Fultz (probably) and senior forward Malik Dime were playing their final home games at Hec Ed, Trier was experiencing his first real homecoming there.
A Seattle native, Trier was just returning from a broken hand when he played at U-Dub as a freshman last year, and he fouled out after 13 minutes.
This time, Trier did it all on both sides of the court.
βItβs great,β Trier said. βLast year, I really didnβt play as much. I didnβt even know if I was going to play until just before the game. So it was great to get back in my hometown where basketball started for me and itβs a big part of my life. Itβs exciting. Itβs great to be back.β
