LOS ANGELES -- A little morning inspiration by UCLA Coach Jim Harrick helped his 19th-ranked Bruins knock off No. 17 Arizona.
Don MacLean scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds and freshman Tracy Murray sparked a 15-0 blitz Saturday to give UCLA a 73-67 Pacific 10 Conference victory over Arizona.
The Bruins, using a zone defense that shut down Arizona's inside game, held the Wildcats to just 31 percent shooting in the first half in running out to a 36-21 lead and held on from there.
'I decided on the zone defense this morning,' Harrick said. 'I felt we could overcome their outside shooting. I didn't fear their guards as much as their inside guys.'
Murray, who scored 14 points in the first half, finished with 16 points and seven rebounds. Trevor Wilson added 14 points as UCLA's front-line trio of Wilson, Murray and MacLean dominated play.
'We played with great emotion and togetherness,' Harrick said. 'Wilson and MacLean rebounded well, as did Murray. I've been waiting for this balance all season.'
Jud Buechler led Arizona with 17 points and 14 rebounds, while Matt Othick had 14 points for the Wildcats, 9-3 and 4-3 in the league.
'I have a hard time figuring out the first half,' Arizona Coach Lute Olson said. 'We didn't play with our usual enthusiasm. Maybe UCLA had a lot to do with that, but we played a lot harder in the second half.'
UCLA, 11-2 and 5-0 in the Pac-10, snapped its own five-game losing streak against the Wildcats and also ended Arizona's eight-game winning streak. The Wildcats are two-time defending conference champions.
'I think UCLA is capable of beating everyone in the conference,' Olson said. 'You've got to like the aggressiveness of their front line.'
Arizona, trailing 36-21 at halftime, outscored UCLA 16-4 in the first 4:09 of the second half and eventually caught the Bruins 58-58 on Buechler's basket with 5:01 left.
UCLA came back and took a 67-60 lead with 1:15 remaining after two free throws by MacLean, and the Bruins needed four free throws by Derrick Martin and a layuup by Wilson in the last 39 seconds to clinch the win.
'I just didn't want Arizona to go ahead in the second half,' Harrick said. 'Our staff talked on the bench how important it was to keep them behind. Even if the score was tied, that was not as bad as being behind.'
Arizona took its only lead of the game at 17-16 on a three-point basket by Othick, but Murray answered with 3 three-pointers and a layup. Mitchell Butler and MacLean added baskets for a 31-19 lead with 3:12 left before halftime.
'The game was not as physical as I expected,' MacLean said. 'I didn't think the zone would work as well as it did.'
