Arizona knocks out Stanford 95-84 in a high scoring grudge match

Arizona Wildcats #45 Cedric Henderson Jr. (F) looking for a teammate to pass the ball to. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

 LAS VEGAS, NV - The Arizona Wildcats had redemption, perhaps a little revenge, on their minds in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 Conference Tournament against Stanford at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

Behind a 24-point performance by Oumar Ballo, Arizona beat Stanford, 95-84, to advance to the semifinals.

Arizona (26-6), ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press poll and the second seed in the Pac-12 tournament, lost to Stanford (14-19) last month in the previous meeting between the two teams. Ballo said he expected another strong challenge from Stanford and was prepared to meet it.

"Ingram (Harrison) said yesterday they have the toughest and biggest team in the country," a smirking Ballo said after the game about the Stanford forward. "So after today's game, they can go home and study some science and enjoy their education."

Stanford struck first, opening the game on an 8-2 run after a three-pointer by Brandon Angel three minutes into the game.

The Wildcats changed the momentum of the game with a Ballo layup, capping a 9-2 run with 12:36 left in the first half giving the Wildcats a 17-10 lead as the mostly pro-Arizona crowd erupted.

"It felt like a home game," said Arizona's Cedric Henderson Jr. of the atmosphere in the arena.

Stanford Cardinal #14 Spencer Jones (F) shooting a jump shot from the left side of the basket at the T-Mobile Arena. Photo by Jerry Kelly/TGSportstv1.

Arizona point guard Kerr Kriisa injured his shoulder in the first half, and coach Tommy Lloyd said he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to play in the second half. Kriisa returned and played 15 minutes in the second half.

Arizona led 47-43 at halftime and used a 12-2 run in the second half to take a 92-78 lead.

Kriisa contributed to two key plays in the second half. Pelle Larsson drained a three-pointer off a Kriisa assist, giving Arizona an 88-78 lead with 3:57 remaining in the game.

On their next possession, the duo linked up again, with Larrson scoring a breakaway dunk off a no-look pass from Kriisa.

Henderson scored 23 points, and Azoulas Tubelis finished with 20 for the Wildcats. Spencer Jones led Stanford with 22 points, and Angel scored 19.

Arizona, the reigning Pac-12 tournament champion, shot 47% from three-point range and 64% from the field. The Wildcats took advantage of their size and had 54 points in the paint.

"We were the less physical team," said Stanford coach Jerod Haase. "The reality is when their bigs get in within six feet, there's not a lot of defense we're going to be able to do to combat that."

Arizona faces off against in-state rival Arizona State (21-11) Friday at 8:30 p.m.