Sports

Anderson leads No. 23 Arizona past Washington 77-72

Washington's Marquese Chriss, right, collides with Arizona's Ryan Anderson (12) as the ball flies out of bounds during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

SEATTLE — Before Ryan Anderson could escape back into Arizona's locker room, Lorenzo Romar made sure to get his attention.

"That," Washington's coach said to Anderson, "was a heck of a game."

Anderson capped his impressive week with 22 points and 15 rebounds and No. 23 Arizona completed a road sweep, holding on for a 77-72 win over Washington on Saturday.

After scoring 31 points in a win over Washington State on Wednesday, Anderson was again a dominant force on the inside. He made 6 of 12 shots and 10 of 11 free throws and grabbed seven rebounds on the offensive end, taking advantage of Washington's aggressive, switching defense that opened up rebounding opportunities. The Wildcats had 21 second-chance points, many of them from Anderson.

"They forced a lot of turnovers. You can't simulate it because not many teams play that style but yes, it opens the floodgates up at times for offensive rebounding," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "That doesn't mean that you're just going to get them; you have to be able to take advantage, but we did."

Even with Anderson controlling the paint, the Wildcats still needed a 3-pointer from Kadeem Allen with 1:01 remaining as the shot clock expired that gave Arizona a five-point cushion. Allen missed his first six shots and was just 2 of 8 shooting but came through when the Wildcats needed a clutch shot.

Gabe York added 18 points — including four 3-pointers — as the Wildcats (19-5, 7-4 Pac-12) won their third straight since losing at home to Oregon.

"When I got the ball to Kadeem, I knew he was going to make the shot," York said.

Andrew Andrews led Washington (15-8, 7-4) with 20 points, but the Huskies were unable to add a marquee win over a ranked opponent to their NCAA tournament resume. Energized by a sold-out home crowd, the Huskies dominated the opening minutes of both halves but couldn't sustain the pace.

Marquese Chriss added 18 points for Washington before fouling out in the closing seconds, but the Huskies made just one of their final seven shot attempts. Matisse Thybulle added 11 points and six steals, while Dejounte Murray was held to 11 points on 4 of 14 shooting after scoring a career-high 34 earlier this week against Arizona State.

But the difference was the glass, where the Huskies were outrebounded 43-29.

"(Anderson) just took the game over on the backboard," Romar said. "I think that was the difference in the game. I think our guys competed, I thought our guys guarded, I thought our guys played together on defense and worked hard."

The most important work Anderson did on the offensive glass came in the closing minutes. His jumper off a rebound gave Arizona a 66-60 lead with 5:37 left. Andrews capped a six-point spurt with a transition 3-pointer to pull even at 66 but missed a 3 on Washington's next possession with a chance to take the lead. Chriss put the Huskies up 68-67 with a 15-footer, but York answered with a 3 with 2:38 left for a 70-68 lead. Two free throws from Malik Dime pulled Washington even.

Anderson hit a pair of free throws with 1:43 left before Allen's 3-pointer gave the Wildcats a 75-70 lead. Andrews hit two free throws, but Anderson was able to track down York's missed jumper with 23 seconds left and hit two more from the foul line to put the game away.

"The last couple of weeks we've been focusing on the details with our bigs and the little things we can get better at individually have helped us be successful," Anderson said.

TRIER'S RETURN

Arizona welcomed back freshman Allonzo Trier for the first time since suffering a broken right hand on Jan. 9 against USC. Trier was hampered by foul trouble and played just 16 minutes before fouling out with 6:10 left. He scored seven points, including five straight late in the first half that gave Arizona an early lead.

Trier had his first full-contact practice on Friday and was cleared to return.

TIP INS

Arizona: The Wildcats committed 20 turnovers, their second most this season. ... Arizona has won six straight over the Huskies, its longest win streak against Washington since winning eight straight between 2000-03.

Washington: Washington's last win over Arizona was Feb. 18, 2012, a 79-70 win in Seattle. ... The Huskies played before their first sellout crowd at home since the 2011-12 season.

UP NEXT

Arizona: The Wildcats host UCLA on Friday.

Washington: The Huskies are at Utah on Wednesday.