While the focus heading into the game was on freshman phenoms Jabari Parker and Aaron Gordon, it was a few Arizona veterans who stole the show and helped guide the No. 4 Wildcats to a 72-66 win against No. 6 Duke.
Arizona vs. Duke final score: Wildcats surge in 2nd half, win 72-66
Jabari Parker outscored Aaron Gordon, but Gordon’s Wildcats came away with the win.
Al Bello
Sophomore Brandon Ashley scored 13 points, keeping Arizona in the game early while junior Nick Johnson keyed a late second half run that helped Arizona pull away. The Wildcats went on a 12-3 run and Johnson scored five of the 12 points for the Wildcats, including a huge three-pointer as the shot clock expired. Johnson finished with 15 points.
The Wildcats got contributions from up and down the roster, and five players finished in double figures. Johnson's backcourt mate T.J. McConnell played extremely well and finished with 10 points, eight assists and six rebounds. Gordon made 4-of-6 shots, finishing with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Parker finished with 19 points, but wasn't very efficient from the field. He made 7-of-21 shots and grabbed three rebounds. Rodney Hood led the way for the Blue Devils, finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds.
The game was tightly contested until Arizona made the second half run. The teams went back-and-forth with neither able to gain much separation. Duke held a slim lead for most of the game before an offensive drought allowed the Wildcats to pull away. Duke wasn’t done, however, and cut the lead back to five with less than two minutes to play. It proved to be too little, too late, and Arizona made its free throws to seal the victory.
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