Jan. 31, 2009
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Chase Budinger broke out of a shooting slump to score 19 points and led Arizona to a big second half run for a 66-56 victory over Washington State on Saturday.
The Wildcats, after shooting 31 percent in the first half, went on a 24-2 run after Washington State built a seven-point lead with nearly 14 minutes left.
Budinger, who made only 1 of his first 12 shots from the field, scored 10 points during the scoring outburst. He added a three-point play to secure the win with two minutes remaining after the Cougars cut the lead to 10.
Jordan Hill finished with 16 points for Arizona (14-8, 4-5). Kyle Fogg added 15.
Taylor Rochestie led Washington State (19-9, 4-5) with 22 points. Aron Baynes had 12.
Budinger and Zane Johnson had consecutive three-pointers to cap the scoring spree to pull ahead 56-41 with 4:23 left.
Nic Wise started a 16-0 barrage with a three-pointer, his first bucket of the game, to give Arizona a 48-39 lead with 8:42 remaining.
Budinger had a three-pointer and then added a base-line drive and a pair of free throws before Kyle Fogg capped off the 16-0 run with a baseline drive for the nine-point cushion. Rochestie's jumper had given the Cougars a 39-32 edge.
Washington State scored the final six points to take a 28-23 lead at halftime, sparked by a three-pointer from Rochestie.