PHOENIX -- Having already lost a pair of one-point games, the Arizona Wildcats held on this time in another close one.
And this time, they did so against fourth-rated Gonzaga.
Arizona led most of their Desert Classic clash with the Bulldogs and hung on for a 69-64 win despite a late Gonzaga surge, closing the door with two free throws each from Jordan Hill and Nic Wise.
The win improved Arizona to 7-2 while the Bulldogs dropped to 7-1. The Wildcats will have an open week to finish up finals before facing UNLV on Saturday in Las Vegas
Hill led UA with 22 points while Wise had 21 points and five assists.
Hill hit both ends of a one-and-one free throw attempt to give UA a 64-62 lead with 1:17 to go, and Gonzaga’s Jeremy Pargo was whistled for traveling on the Zags’ next possession. Then Hill took the ball inside from Kyle Fogg and hit a turnaround jumper to make it 66-62.
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Gonzaga’s Matt Bouldin, however, quickly scored a layup on the baseline to cut the UA lead to two before Nic Wise hit two free throws to put the Wildcats up 68-64. Pargo lost the ball on the Zags’ next possession and after Wise broke out in front, instead of scoring, he raced courtside and threw the ball in the air as time expired. The Zags had a chance to take the lead with four minutes left and UA up 59-58, when Austin Daye blocked Hill. Gonzaga kept the ball but failed to score on the possession. It wasn’t until Bouldin stepped inside the three-point arc to hit a jumper with 2:25 left that Gonzaga tied the game at 62.
The Wildcats twice extended their early second-half lead to nine points,the second time on a goaltending call on Josh Heytvelt against Jordan Hill’s layup. But Gonzaga responded with an 11-5 run of its own, capped by a three pointer in the corner from Austin Daye, to pull within 54-51.
Worse, for the Wildcats, was the fact that Jordan Hill picked up his fourth foul with 9:35 left. However, Hill returened to the game several minutes later and did not foul out.
Arizona started the second half on a defensive roll, holding the Bulldogs to just two points over the first four minutes and going on to a 12-4 run.
During the first three minutes. Kyle Fogg made a layup, hit two free throws and assisted Hill for a dunk all in the first three minutes of the second half, giving the Wildcats a 41-38 lead. Then Hill made a rebound basket to put UA up 43-38 and later dunked to make it 45-38.
In the first half, Arizona managed to hang on for a 35-34 halftime lead although there were warning signs.
Hill, the Wildcats’ most effective player in the first half, picked up his third foul with 2:46 to go -- less than a minute after he returned to the game with two fouls.
In addition, Chase Budinger missed 8 of his first 10 field goals, finally nailing a three-pointer witjh 1:35 left in the half that gave UA a 33-32 lead.
From there, Wise hit two free throws and Gonzaga’s Steven Gray made a layup for the final first-half score, with Wise also missing a contested layup just before the halftime buzzer.
Wise finished the half with 13 points and one assist, while Hill had 10 points. Kyle Fogg added two assists and defensive help against the Zags, who hit only 4 of 12 three-pointers they attempted. Arizona kept Gonzaga scoreless for its first four possessions, building a 6-0 lead before Bouldin hit a three-pointer with 17:20 remaining in the first half.
While Budinger slumped offensively early in the game, Hill scored inside and out, giving the Wildcats a 22-19 lead with 8:02 to go.
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