Jan 4, 2002

Box Score| Quotes

By BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

TUCSON, Ariz. - This was supposed to be Arizona's revenge. Instead, it was another Duck drubbing of the Wildcats.

Thirteen days after handing Arizona its most one-sided loss of coach Lute Olson's 19 seasons at the school, Oregon beat the 15th-ranked Wildcats again 90-80 Friday night.

"We felt we wanted to make another statement, having played so well up there in Eugene," Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. "Probably the best thing for us was to turn around and play them again."

Only a 3-pointer by Will Bynum with 23.9 seconds to play prevented it from being Arizona's worst home loss of the Olson era.

Luke Ridnour set career highs with six 3-pointers, 23 points and 10 assists as the Ducks (10-3, 3-0 Pac-10) won at McKale Center for the first time since 1985, a span of 16 consecutive losses.

Oregon swept Arizona for the first time since the 1982-83 season.

"We knew that we could play with them," Ridnour said. "We all hit shots. We have a lot of confidence on this team."

Oregon, which made 13-of-22 3-pointers in its 105-75 rout of Arizona in Eugene on Dec. 22, hit 10-of-17 3s this time.

"They are a very, very good basketball team," Olson said. "They have four or five perimeter guys that can all shoot and handle the ball. Their inside guys know their roles. They are just better than we are. That is pretty obvious."

Luke Jackson added 21 points, 14 in the first half, and Freddie Jones scored 12 for the Ducks, who led by as many a 17 in the first half and 22 in the second. James Davis scored all 10 of his points in the second half for Oregon.

A year ago, the Ducks lost at Arizona 104-65.

"We were so angry about that, so embarrassed about that," Jackson said. "More than anything, we just wanted to prove that we could win on the road. They went on runs and we just answered every single time it seemed like."

Jason Gardner scored 22 points, but was just 7-for-19 from the field, 3-for-11 on 3-pointers, for the Wildcats (8-4, 1-2), who were without Luke Walton, their best passer and defender. Walton, one of only three non-freshmen in Arizona's rotation, strained his right Achilles' tendon in Arizona's victory over Pepperdine on Dec. 29.

"Even with Luke, I don't know how much better we would have been," Olson said. "We are having a miserable time getting our guys to play with some continuity."

Salim Soudamire added 16 points, Bynum 15 and Rick Anderson 11 for Arizona.

The worst loss for Arizona at home under Olson was 61-49 to Tennessee on Dec. 23, 1983, his first season in Tucson.

Oregon won its sixth straight but its first of the season on the road. The Ducks are 8-0 at home, 1-1 on a neutral court and 1-2 on the road. The neutral court loss to Massachusetts also was essentially a road game.

Olson drew a rare technical foul for storming onto the court to protest a non-call with 14:47 to play in the first half.

The technical came during the 9-0 surge that put Oregon up for good 19-10 on Anthony Lever's 3-pointer 13:21 to play in the first half.

The Ducks, frustrating the Wildcats with a tight man-to-man defense, made it 30-17 on Ridnour's fourth 3-pointer - in four attempts - with 10:01 to play. Ridnour made five 3s before he missed one and finished 6-for-8.

Another 6-0 run put Oregon up 45-28 with 2:57 to play in the half on Jackson's breakaway stuff 2:57 before the break.

The Ducks led 49-38 at the half. Olson stayed on the court to complain after Gardner was knocked to the floor on a driving layup in the final seconds of the half but no foul was called.

Oregon was 10-for-15 at the foul line in the first half, compared with 4-for-5 for Arizona. The Wildcats' Channing Frye had three fouls by halftime and three others had two.

The Ducks made five of eight 3-pointers, in the first half, compared with Arizona's 2-for-13.

Arizona used a 7-0 run to cut it to 53-45 on Bynum's driving layup with 16:53 to play. But Davis sank a 3-pointer to ignite an 11-0 Oregon spurt that put the Ducks up 64-45 on Jones' two free throws with 13:34 remaining.

Oregon rubbed it in with a spectacular fastbreak basket. Ridnour passed the ball off the glass, and Jones grabbed it for a stuff to put the Duck ahead 82-60 with 7:28 to play.