Just in time to keep control of its first-place lead in the Pac-12, Arizona found enough defense to go with another efficient offensive effort in an 81-67 win over USC at McKale Center on Saturday.
Arizona shot 55 percent from the field and made 8 of 18 from the field, while holding USC to 43.4 percent shooting and 6 of 19 shooting from 3-point range. The Wildcats also crushed the Trojans on the rebounding glass, 40-22 overall.
The Wildcats had four players score in double figures, receiving a double-double from Dusan Ristic of 16 points and 11 rebounds plus a significant boost from Rawle Alkins, who had struggled in their two previous games.
Alkins was a combined 4 for 20 from the field in UA losses to Washington and UCLA, but had 20 points on 7 for 12 shooting Saturday while making 4 of 7 3-pointers.
Arizona’s other usual double-figure scorers were all in line, too: Deandre Ayton had 17 points and six rebounds, Allonzo Trier had 13 points and eight rebounds while Ristic's effort was his fourth double-double of the season and ninth straight game in double-figure scoring.
The win kept Arizona in sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 at 10-3, while the Wildcats moved to 20-6 overall. It also snapped a two-game losing streak and kept the Wildcats from losing back-to-back home games for the first time since 2009-10.
USC dropped to 17-9 and 8-5.
Up by six points at halftime, Arizona scored on a hook shot from Ristic on its first possession and, after an offensive foul on USC’s Nick Rakocevic, Deandre Ayton threw down an alley-oop pass from Parker Jackson-Cartwright to give the Wildcats a 41-31 lead.
But USC then scored 10 straight points to tie the game at 41, and it remained within two baskets until UA went on an 8-3 run over the middle of the half to take a 61-52 lead on a layup from Ristic.
Arizona then led by as many as 19 points into the final minutes.
In the first half, Alkins scored 11 points while Arizona took a 37-31 halftime lead. He shot 4 of 5 in the first half while hitting all three 3-pointers he took.
Arizona shot 53.3 percent overall while holding USC to 40.7-percent shooting and just 2 of 9 from 3-point range. Allonzo Trier had eight points and seven rebounds for UA while Ayton had eight points and three rebounds.
After two straight slow starts, the Wildcats went ahead 14-7 six minutes into the game after getting early 3-pointers from Trier and Alkins.
USC pulled back into ties at 14 and 16, but once the Trojans received back-to-back easy layups from Rackocevic inside, plus another layup from Elijah Stewart that gave them a 20-18 lead, UA coach Sean Miller called a timeout and subbed in freshman Ira Lee into the post. Lee did not play in UA's loss to UCLA on Thursday.
Arizona then went on a 9-2 run to take a 29-22 lead with 5:31 left before a three-point play from Chimezie Metu cut UA’s lead to 29-25 entering the final five minutes of the half.
