York, Ristic Lead No. 7 Arizona Past UCLA, 57-47

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Gabe York scored 13 points and Dusan Ristic added 12, providing No. 7 Arizona an unexpected lift in a difficult 57-47 victory over UCLA on Saturday night.

Arizona (24-3, 11-2 Pac-12) was abysmal offensively to start both halves and allowed UCLA to rally from a 14-point halftime deficit.

Ristic and York helped Arizona out of its first-half funk, combining for 22 of Arizona's 32 points.

T.J. McConnell scored six of his 11 points in the final 1:14 to help the Wildcats seal it, stretching their home-winning streak to 36 games.

UCLA (16-12, 8-7) responded to a dismal first half with an almost-unheard-of run at McKale Center in the second, scoring the first 17 points to take the lead.

The Bruins wore down, though, unable to keep up after Tony Parker, Kevon Looney and Thomas Welsh fouled out.

Bryce Alford had 22 points and Norman Powell 11 for UCLA.

While Arizona is fighting for a high seed in the NCAA tournament, UCLA is still scrapping for a spot in the bracket.

The Bruins' chances took a bit of a hit Wednesday night when they lost to unranked Arizona State. The Wildcats also lost to the Sun Devils, but their resume is far more impressive than UCLA's to this point.

A win at Arizona would go a long way to boost the Bruins' chances.

UCLA played as if it had something to prove at the start, hounding Arizona's ballhandlers and forcing tough shots.

The Wildcats missed their first eight shots and had four turnovers in their opening nine possessions, looking like a nervous road team, not the nation's seventh-ranked team playing at home.

A pair of backups finally got Arizona going.

Ristic hit two free throws at 13:55 for Arizona's first points, then popped in consecutive jump hooks. York hit a couple of 3-pointers off the bench and added another a couple minutes later.

Ristic had 12 points and York 10 to help Arizona build a 32-18 halftime lead.

The Wildcats' defense was good from the start and really locked down UCLA down after seeing a few shots fall at the other end.

The Bruins made 5 of 20 shots in the first half: four by Alford, who had 11 points, and none over the final 4:43.

The start of the second half looked a lot like the first: Arizona missed its first 10 shots and UCLA hit 6 of 8 to take a 35-32 lead.

The Wildcats righted themselves a bit after that, gradually stretching the lead to eight. UCLA cut the deficit to 51-47, but McConnell hit a jumper and four free throws in the final 1:14 to help Arizona pull out the victory.

TIP INS

UCLA: The Bruins are 2-8 in true road games this season. ... Parker fouled out with 6:58 left, finishing with 2 points on 0-for-1 shooting.

Arizona: Ristic and York went a combined 7 for 10 from the floor in the first half. The rest of the team was 4 for 20. ... Freshman Stanley Johnson went 1 for 9 from the field and finished with seven points.

UP NEXT

UCLA hosts Washington on Wednesday night.

Arizona plays at Colorado on Thursday night.

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