{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Arizona 64, California 61
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, March 3, 2016
Where: McKale Center, Tucson, Arizona
Officials: # Verne Harris, # Gregory Nixon, # Mike Reed
Attendance: 14644

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona guard Gabe York did not get much of a chance to test his shot in the first half Thursday, when California limited him to one attempt. The second half, things changed.

York scored all 19 of his points in the second half, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 17.9 seconds remaining, when the 18th-ranked Wildcats scored the final 11 points for a 64-61 Pac-12 victory over the 25th-ranked Bears at McKale Center.

York went through a triple screen on the baseline, then reversed course and found himself open for a 26-footer from the right wing that gave Arizona a 62-61 lead.

"I don't have any conscience of where I'm at on the court," York said. "And don't get me wrong, coach (Sean) Miller has definitely yelled at me for being too far out. ...

"I just see the basket, and if I'm open, I get a shot up. I was open, and I just tried to get a little more separation."

Thwarted by Cal's aggressive defense at the 3-point arc early, York made three 3-pointers in the final three minutes as the Wildcats overcome an eight-point deficit in the final 1:51.

Arizona forward Ryan Anderson scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season, and center Kaleb Tarczewski had 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Tarczewski's two free throws with seven-tenths of a second remaining accounted for the final margin, after Cal guard Tyrone Wallace missed a forced 10-footer.

"Obviously in the first half, I didn't know how my shot was really feeling," York said. "Early in the second half, I got couple of easy ones, saw the ball go in the basket. At that point, the basket is like a sea to me."

York, a senior, has 79 3-pointers this season, 210 in his career.

Freshman Ivan Rabb had 15 points and 13 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season for the Bears, who had a seven-game winning streak end.

Both Arizona (23-7, 11-6 Pac-12) and Cal (21-9, 11-6) can clinch a bye in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament next week with a victory in their final regular-season game Saturday.

"(York) got his head up and made some plays," Cal coach Cuonzo Martin said. "It was a poor job of our part chasing him off the screen. We have to get him off the (3-point) line. He can't catch and shoot a 3-pointer."

Rabb hit the first 3-pointer of his career on his first attempt to give Cal a 54-50 lead with 3:18 remaining, and guard Jordan Mathews made two free throws on the next possession for a 56-53 lead.

Mathews countered York's first 3-pointer of the game with his own 3-pointer, and Wallace's steal and layup gave Cal a 61-53 lead with 1:51 remaining.

Anderson made a layup and a free throw, and after a Wallace turnover, York hit another 3-pointer from the left wing with 1:00 remaining to cut the Bears' lead to 61-59.

Cal freshman Jaylen Brown committed an offensive foul, his fifth foul, to turn the ball back to Arizona with 31.2 seconds remaining.

York hit his 3-pointer, and Tarczewski made two free throws after Wallace's driving layup with seven seconds left was no good.

"I think that's our best win of the season," Miller said, "and the reason I feel that way is because we beat an outstanding team. They have all the parts of a championship-type team."

Cal had a 44-31 rebounding edge and had 18 offensive rebounds that led to 28 second-chance points. Arizona entered leading the Pac-12 in rebounding margin in conference games at plus-9 per game.

Cal's Jabari Bird had 13 points and Mathews had 12. Brown, Cal's leading scorer, had five points in 15 minutes after battling foul trouble the entire game. He played five minutes in the first half.

NOTES: Boston general manager Danny Ainge attended the game. The Celtics have a high pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and several mock drafts have linked them to Cal freshman G/F Jaylen Brown, who is expected to declare for the draft. ... Cal returned to the AP Top 25 on Monday, the first it had been ranked in March since it was No. 24 in the poll of March 10, 2003. The Bears opened this season ranked No. 14 and stayed in the rankings for the first three weeks. ... Brown is a finalist for the Wayman Tisdale Award, given to the national freshman of the year. Brown led Cal with a 15.8 points scoring average entering the Arizona game. ... Arizona senior transfer F Ryan Anderson has 1,100 career rebounds, 716 in three seasons at Boston College. F Al Fleming (1,190) and C Bob Elliott (1,083) are the Wildcats' career rebound leaders. ... Arizona, which had lost two in a row, has not lost three in a row since Feb. 13-25, 2010.
Top Game Performances
 
California   Arizona
Ivan Rabb 15 Scoring Gabe York 19
Sam Singer 3 Assists Kadeem Allen 6
Ivan Rabb 13 Rebounds Kaleb Tarczewski 12
Jabari Bird 4 Free Throws Made Ryan Anderson 6
Ivan Rabb 3 Steals Ryan Anderson 1
Jabari Bird 1 Blocks Kadeem Allen 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
California 61 36.5 6-17 9-11 7 41 2 5 13
Arizona 64 41.4 4-11 12-17 7 26 6 1 10