Field Level Media
Mar 2, 2018
Arizona center Dusan Ristic had 21 points and Allonzo Trier added 18 as the No. 19 Wildcats celebrated the return of Trier and coach Sean Miller with an emotional 75-67 Pac-12 victory over the Stanford Cardinal at McKale Center on Thursday.
Deandre Ayton had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his 20th double-double and Arizona (23-7, 13-4) clinched at least a tie for what would be its fifth Pac-12 championship in eight seasons while beating Stanford for the 17th straight time.
Miller and Trier each missed the last two games at the Oregon schools, Miller stepping aside after ESPN reported that he was heard on FBI wiretaps as discussing a $100,000 payment to assure Ayton enrolled at Arizona, a claim he labeled "false and defamatory" in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Miller was given a standing ovation when he took the court before the game. Trier was reinstated by the NCAA after serving a two-game suspension when trace elements of a banned performance-enhancing substance was found last week.
Reid Travis had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Dorian Pickens had 11 points and Daejon Davis had 10 for Stanford (16-14, 10-7), which had a three-game winning streak broken.
Arizona had a 38-29 rebounding edge and shot 52.8 percent from the field while holding Stanford to 40.7 percent.
Ayton's layup gave Arizona a 50-41 lead with 13 1/2 minutes remaining.
Stanford closed to within five at 69-64 with 1:04 remaining on Davis' driving dunk before Trier made two free throws with 42.4 seconds remaining, enough of a cushion.
Ayton played the final 3:11 attempting to stop the bleeding from his lower lip after being hit in the mouth by Travis' left hand on a follow-through of a missed field goal attempt.
Ristic made 10 of 15 field goal attempts and was two points short of his career high. Ayton made 4 of 6 shots. Ristic has scored in double figures in 12 of his last 13 games.
Stanford, UCLA, USC and Washington are tied for third place in the Pac-12 with one game remaining. The third- and fourth-place teams receive a bye in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament.
--Field Level Media