Whatever the reason, Arizona Wildcats' Oumar Ballo found free-throw rhythm just in time

If there’s a superstition in the air, Oumar Ballo will roll with it. It’s just not necessarily his thing.

After a few bumpy weeks in November, Arizona’s senior center played with his normally braided hair out on Dec. 2, and put up his first of six double-doubles this season.

“I guess it was a good thing,” he said after leading UA to an 82-55 win over Colgate that day.

Reminded of that turn of events Saturday, after breaking a free-throw shooting slump that helped lead No. 12 Arizona to a comeback 77-71 win over UCLA, Ballo chuckled at the memory.

“Do you miss the hair?” Ballo said. “If you miss it, I’m gonna bring it back.”

He probably doesn’t need to this time. Because Ballo found another way.

Having made just 10 of 29 free throws (34.5%) in five games leading up to Saturday, Ballo said he changed his routine “the last couple of days and I’m trying to stick with the routine and see where it takes me.”

He described the change in technical terms, saying he worked on free throws more before and after practices while tweaking his shot slightly.

“Just making one motion and don’t lean back,” Ballo said.

Ballo wound up coming through with 7 of 8 free throws against UCLA, the most he’s hit all season and the highest percentage he’s ever hit while taking more than six free throws.

But it wasn’t quite clear exactly how much the change in his shot had to do with it. Ballo credited teammates for encouraging him, indicating a mental boost of some sort, while UA coach Tommy Lloyd wouldn’t make too much of the technical stuff.

Lloyd said Wednesday, after Ballo went just 4 for 10 from the line in an 82-67 win over USC, that his free throws already “looked better today,” and declined to comment on Ballo’s self-analysis after Saturday’s game.

“We don’t need to get into technique,” Lloyd said. “You guys can slice and dice that. I’m not going to get into techniques of shooting and stuff like that with players. I’m just .. you know what? Free throws, they all look good coming out of his hand to me.”

But they went in this time. For whatever reason.

“It’s everything. It’s mental. It’s physical. It’s technical,” Lloyd said. “I mean, it’s everything. We could probably look at it 100 different directions. But for this day, he solved it, and it was a huge difference in this game.”

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Ballo went 7 for 8, senior wing Pelle Larsson went 8 for 8 and freshman guard KJ Lewis hit all six free throws he took in what became a 25-for-29 team effort from the line. That represented the Wildcats’ fourth most free throws made all season and their highest percentage (86.2) in any game other than their Dec. 16 loss to Purdue, when they hit 14 after taking only 16 free throws.

Arizona was particularly effective getting to the line and converting in the second half, making 22 of 23 free throws after halftime to help overcome a deficit that was still 17 points with 16 minutes to go.

Overall, the Wildcats wound up scoring 13 more points from the line than the Bruins, who hit 12 of 14 free throws, facts that didn’t exactly slip past UCLA coach Mick Cronin.

“It’s hard to win a game when the other team shoots 23 free throws in the second half,” Cronin told reporters outside the visitors locker room. “The team that’s losing usually has to play harder to catch up when you have a double-figure deficit — you’re the one that’s going to get the fouls. You’re the one denying, grabbing, holding, trying to scratch and claw to get back in the game.

“Not the winning team. We’re not trying to pressure, steal the ball, but that’s the way it went. That’s when it’s hard to win a game.”

Cronin became so frustrated by the trend that he actually sent the Wildcats to the line two of those times, appearing to be upset over a call against UCLA’s Lazar Stefanovic that allowed Larsson to take two free throws with UCLA ahead 60-56 with 6:04 to go.

Cronin was whistled for a technical, and Larsson hit both technical shots and the two personal ones, tying the game at 60 with the four-point play.

“I feel like free throws is the best shot that you can get on the court,” Larsson said. “So it was was really good for our offense that they got a technical foul.”

Less than three minutes later, Arizona took the lead for good. By the time Ballo hit two final free throws, with 19 seconds left, they were simply daggers in the Wildcats’ six-point win.

They were a reward for whatever Ballo did leading up to Saturday’s game and a reward for the teammates who helped him do it.

“I’ve been here three years, and I’m sure I had better games, but today was special,” Ballo said. “I needed to make them the most, and I’m glad I got to make them. My teammates trusted me, they believe in me and they keep supporting me when I’m not making (them).

“When you have a team like that that believes in you 100%, it gives you confidence.”

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Photos: Arizona Wildcats defeat UCLA 77-71 in Tucson, Pac 12 basketball