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No. 7 Arizona clinches share of Pac-12 title with win over Arizona State

By The Sports Xchange

March 5 (UPI) -- The hallmarks of Sean Miller's eight seasons at Arizona have been defense and rebounding.

Those came to the forefront in the second half Saturday as the No. 7 Wildcats claimed a share of the Pac-12 title with a 73-60 victory over Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.

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"Our defense was the difference in the ballgame," said Arizona coach Sean Miller, who won at least a share of the Pac-12 title for the fourth time.

Arizona (27-4, 16-2 Pac-12) had a plus-18 edge on the glass in the second half and held the Sun Devils (14-17, 7-11) to 28.6 percent shooting from the field after halftime.

"We lost a lot of the offensive rebound game, and that's a product of just playing with not ideal size," Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. "Believe me, we'll get there with our roster to the point where we can compete on the front line."

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Arizona tied for first in the Pac-12 with Oregon, which finished with a win at Oregon State on Saturday. The Ducks get the No. 1 seed for the Pac-12 tournament because of a head-to-head victory over the Wildcats in Eugene.

Arizona guard Allonzo Trier scored 19 points, wing Rawle Alkins had a double-double and forward Lauri Markkanen had a big second half for the Wildcats.

Trier just missed posting his fourth consecutive 20-point game.

Alkins had 10 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, marking the second double-double of his freshman season.

"It's hard for a guard to have double-figure rebounds," Miller said. "To have 15, that's dominant."

Markkanen, who had only one point and two rebounds at halftime because of foul trouble, finished with 10 points and nine boards. The 7-foot freshman helped fuel Arizona's second-half energy with three blocks, matching his total from the first 17 conference games.

"I don't know what got into him," Miller said.

Arizona State (14-17, 7-11) will be no better than the No. 8 seed in the tournament, pending later results.

The Sun Devils live and die with their 3-point shooting, and making 9 of 23 wasn't enough against the much bigger Wildcats.

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Arizona flexed its muscles with a 50-27 rebounding edge for the game after being just plus-five in that area in the first half.

"They're fundamentally sound," Hurley said of Arizona's defense.

"They're well-coached. They have good strong wings and on-ball defense. Kadeem Allen is a great, great defender. And they really gobble up the court with their size."

Arizona State guard Kodi Justice scored a team-high 17 points, making 4 of 6 3-point shots. He is 15 of 24 from 3-point range in the past three games. Guard Torian Graham added 15 points for the Sun Devils. Center Obinna Oleka just missed his 16th double-double of the season, finishing with nine points and 11 rebounds.

Arizona led 30-29 at halftime and then started the second half with backup post player Keanu Pinder in the lineup. Although he's usually ninth in a nine-man rotation, he's the team's most athletic option in the frontcourt, better to counter Arizona State's four-guard look.

Miller's move paid off immediately as Pinder put in a driving scoop shot to start the half and spark a 10-0 run. The Wildcats' lead never dipped below eight points after that.

"We inserted him and allowed him to play defense and rebound," Miller said. "He's a high-effort guy. Has a motor. I think we learned a lot about our team in recent weeks. One thing we learned is we have to make him a part of what we're doing."

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NOTES:

-- Arizona's victory was its 150th all time -- with 82 losses -- against Arizona State.

-- Two ASU seniors -- G Torian Graham and C Obinna Oleka -- played their final home games at Wells Fargo Arena.

-- Arizona F Lauri Markkanen is one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award, given to the nation's top player, it was announced Saturday.

-- Arizona G Shannon Evans was given a technical foul with 8:20 to go in the game.

-- Former Arizona golfer Ricky Barnes attended the game. He is the brother-in-law of Arizona interim athletic director Erika Barnes.

-- Arizona State has made 309 3-point shots this season, the second-most ever in the Pac-12.

-- Arizona G Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who missed his first 10 3-pointers in Pac-12 play, is 18 of 27 since then. He made both of his attempts from behind the arc Saturday.

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