A commanding second half propelled No. 6 Arizona to a 95-72 win over Washington at Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle on Saturday.
Since 2012-13, Arizona is 17-1 in Seattle and Pullman, with the only loss coming during the 2017-18 season at Washington.
Here are five takeaways from the Wildcatsβ latest triumph, which completed their second sweep of Pac-12 play this season while jumping into second place in the conference standings:
1. Kerr Three-sa comes back to life
Since the turn of the new year, Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa had shot a combined 13 for 50 (26%) from 3-point range heading into the Wildcatsβ Washington trip.
After knocking down five 3s against Washington State β the most Kriisa had made in a Pac-12 game since his triple-double last season at Utah β he topped it by making a season-high 6 of 11 3-point shots on Saturday. Kriisaβs 18 points against the Huskies are the most since Arizonaβs win over Montana State in December.
Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa gestures toward the Washington cheering section after sinking a 3-point basket during the second half.
In total, Kriisa shot 11 for 21 (52%) in Arizonaβs win over Washington and Washington State; thatβs his best shooting performance in a Pac-12 series over his three-year career.
Kriisa, who leads the Pac-12 in assists (124), also dished out six assists on Saturday. After Washington forward Keion Brooks Jr. missed a 3-pointer late in the first half, Arizona center Oumar Ballo grabbed the rebound and flicked it to Kriisa for an outlet pass. Kriisa took one dribble before skipping a pass to Azuolas Tubelis for a transition dunk. Kriisaβs 3 on the following possession gave the Wildcats their first lead of the game.
2. Sharing the love
Arizona finished with 25 assists and was 34 for 65 (52%) from the field; the Wildcats had 26 total in the last two games before Saturday. Arizona has tabbed at least 25 assists in five games this season, matching its season total from a year ago.
The Wildcats have shot over 50% in 15 conference games going back to last season.
3. Ramey adds four 3s
Like his backcourt counterpart Kriisa, Arizona guard Courtney Ramey had the hot hand from beyond the arc on Saturday, finishing with 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Heβs scored in double figures in five of the last six games.
Ramey also had five assists against Washington, the most since the Oregon State game earlier this month.
Ramey only had two points on 0-for-3 shooting at halftime, but he overcame an inefficient first half, making four of his seven 3-point attempts in the second half.
Ramey and Kriisa both scored 32 points, the second-most theyβve combined for in a game this season; they had 42 against San Diego State in the Maui Invitational.
Arizona center Oumar Ballo dunks against Washington during the second half Saturday in Seattle. Ballo hit all nine of his shots for 21 points.
4. Tubelis, Ballo thrash Huskies inside
Saturday was the perfect storm in Seattle β and not the weather outside.
Not only did guard play improve, the Wildcatsβ frontcourt tandem of Tubelis and Ballo smothered the Huskies.
Washingtonβs bread-and-butter defense under head coach Mike Hopkinsβ is the 2-3 zone, a defensive set that has given Arizona fits in the past well before Lloyd took over the program.
In a half-court possession, Arizona consistently moved the ball on the perimeter and fed Tubelis and Ballo passes in the post. Either kicking the ball back out to the perimeter or operating in the paint, Tubelis and Ballo found ways to exploit the Huskiesβ 2-3 zone defense.
Arizona forward Azuolas Tubelis, right, looks to the basket with Washington guard Keyon Menifield defending during the first half Saturday in Seattle.
Tubelis had 25 points and 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season β seven in the last eight games. Ballo earned his eighth double-double of the season with a 21-point, 12-rebound performance; he was 9 for 9 from the field.
It was the third time this season both Ballo and Tubelis had double-doubles in a game. The other two: Oregon State and Cincinnati.
More notably, Ballo had a career-high six assists, while Tubelis had four. The 10 assists from Ballo and Tubelis are the most theyβve combined for this season.
5. Cats moving up
Arizonaβs previous two wins were low-scoring, grind-it-out games, but Saturday was akin to the high-powered offense that was often displayed during last season.
The Wildcats trailed 23-14 in the first half, then proceeded to outscore Washington 81-49 the rest of the way, which included 15-0 and 19-3 runs in the second half.
In the second half, Arizona shot 53% from the field, 44% from 3-point range and 91% from the free-throw line, while tallying 22 points in the paint and averaging 1.6 points per possession.
Arizonaβs win also pulls the Wildcats within a half-game from first place in the Pac-12 standings.
The Wildcats (8-3) are just behind UCLA (8-2), as Utah (8-4), which beat Arizona earlier this season, moved down to third following a loss to Oregon.
Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd talked about the Wildcats' upcoming road matchup with Washington State in Pullman following the team's final practice in Tucson at Richard Jefferson Gymnasium.
