Ballo scores 22, grabs 13 rebounds, leads No. 11 Arizona past California 91-65
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) Pelle Larsson fed a streaking Caleb Love with a perfectly-placed bounce pass, who drove baseline and then dished to Keshad Johnson for an easy two-handed slam.
It was the kind of beautiful basketball that made the Arizona Wildcats one of the best teams in the country for the first two months of the season. Now, they're starting to look like that group once again.
Oumar Ballo scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, Johnson added 15 points and No. 11 Arizona rolled to a 91-65 win over California on Thursday night.
“This is February - it's time to start playing consistent, really good basketball,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “I told our guys, in February you're building for March, and then hopefully building for April.
"I think our guys are starting to settle in and recalibrate a little.”
Arizona (16-5, 7-3 Pac-12) never trailed, jumping out to a 29-11 lead by midway through the first half. The 7-foot, 260-pound Ballo scored nine points and grabbed four rebounds during that opening stretch.
“Feels great,” Ballo said. “Feels like team basketball.”
The Wildcats took a 48-28 halftime lead after shooting 56% from the field and outrebounding the Golden Bears 25-11.
“Arizona bull-rushed us on the glass and they completely dominated the glass early in the game,” Cal coach Mark Madsen said. “They just set the tone. We didn't have the energy to start the game.”
California (8-13, 4-6) cut the margin to 15 points early in the second half, but couldn't get any closer. Love's 3-pointer with 12:30 left pushed the Wildcats back up by 22.
Ballo hit all eight of his shots from the field and had six offensive rebounds, doing all his work in just 22 minutes. He became the 54th player in program history to pass 1,000 career points, hitting the mark early in the first half.
“His key comes down to energy, effort and outworking people,” Lloyd said. “When you put energy and effort with that mass, it’s a problem. I thought he played a really clean game. He was really difficult for them to handle.”
KJ Lewis scored 14 points off the bench while Love added 12.
The Golden Bears were led by Jalen Celestine's 13 points while Rodney Brown Jr. had 12. Jaylon Tyson added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Cal shot just 7 of 28 (25%) from 3-point range.
Arizona improved to 11-0 at home this season. The Wildcats swept the season series from the Golden Bears, beating them 100-81 on the road last month.
BIG PICTURE
California: The Golden Bears have been a pleasant surprise in the Pac-12 under the first-year coaching of Madsen, winning four of their previous six games before Thursday. They simply ran into a buzzsaw in Tucson, falling into an early hole in a tough road environment.
Arizona: The Wildcats remain in first place in a crowded Pac-12 race. Arizona's muddled through some inconsistent play over the past month, but there's little doubt that when it's rolling, the offense possesses ability that few other teams in the country can match.
UP NEXT
California: At Arizona State on Saturday.
Arizona: Host Stanford on Sunday.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 | Fardaws Aimaq vs. Oumar Ballo (Wildcats gains possession) | |||
19:52 | +2 | Caleb Love makes two point jump shot | 0-2 | |
19:26 | Jalen Cone misses three point jump shot | |||
19:24 | Oumar Ballo defensive rebound | |||
19:08 | Kylan Boswell misses three point jump shot | |||
19:06 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
19:02 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point layup | 0-4 | |
18:35 | +3 | Fardaws Aimaq makes three point jump shot (Keonte Kennedy assists) | 3-4 | |
18:23 | Keshad Johnson misses two point jump shot | |||
18:21 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
18:17 | Jalen Cone personal foul | |||
18:13 | Pelle Larsson misses three point jump shot | |||
18:11 | Wildcats offensive rebound | |||
18:01 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point layup (Keshad Johnson assists) | 3-6 | |
17:48 | Jaylon Tyson misses two point jump shot | |||
17:46 | Kylan Boswell defensive rebound | |||
17:40 | +3 | Keshad Johnson makes three point jump shot (Pelle Larsson assists) | 3-9 | |
17:25 | Fardaws Aimaq misses three point jump shot | |||
17:23 | Kylan Boswell defensive rebound | |||
17:15 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point layup (Keshad Johnson assists) | 3-11 | |
17:15 | Fardaws Aimaq shooting foul (Oumar Ballo draws the foul) | |||
17:15 | +1 | Oumar Ballo makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 3-12 | |
16:58 | Jalen Celestine misses two point dunk | |||
16:56 | Jalen Celestine offensive rebound | |||
16:48 | +3 | Jalen Celestine makes three point jump shot (Jalen Cone assists) | 6-12 | |
16:25 | +2 | Oumar Ballo makes two point jump shot (Caleb Love assists) | 6-14 | |
16:03 | Jaylon Tyson misses two point jump shot | |||
16:01 | Caleb Love defensive rebound | |||
15:50 | +2 | Keshad Johnson makes two point jump shot (Kylan Boswell assists) | 6-16 | |
15:35 | TV timeout | |||
15:31 | Jalen Cone misses three point jump shot | |||
15:29 | Keshad Johnson defensive rebound | |||
15:23 | Keshad Johnson misses three point jump shot | |||
15:21 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
15:17 | Pelle Larsson misses two point layup | |||
15:15 | Jalen Celestine defensive rebound | |||
14:53 | Keonte Kennedy misses three point jump shot | |||
14:51 | Keshad Johnson defensive rebound | |||
14:44 | Oumar Ballo turnover (lost ball) (Keonte Kennedy steals) | |||
14:37 | +3 | Jalen Celestine makes three point jump shot (Keonte Kennedy assists) | 9-16 | |
14:10 | Grant Newell shooting foul (Kylan Boswell draws the foul) | |||
14:10 | Kylan Boswell misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
14:10 | +1 | Kylan Boswell makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 9-17 | |
13:57 | Caleb Love personal foul | |||
13:51 | +2 | Rodney Brown Jr. makes two point jump shot | 11-17 | |
13:32 | +3 | Caleb Love makes three point jump shot (Jaden Bradley assists) | 11-20 | |
13:15 | Jalen Celestine offensive foul (KJ Lewis draws the foul) | |||
13:15 | Jalen Celestine turnover (offensive foul) | |||
13:01 | +3 | KJ Lewis makes three point jump shot (Pelle Larsson assists) | 11-23 | |
12:43 | Rodney Brown Jr. misses two point jump shot | |||
12:41 | Pelle Larsson defensive rebound | |||
12:39 | Pelle Larsson turnover (double dribble) | |||
12:19 | Keonte Kennedy misses three point jump shot | |||
12:17 | KJ Lewis defensive rebound | |||
12:13 | KJ Lewis turnover (lost ball) (Gus Larson steals) | |||
11:56 | Jaylon Tyson turnover (bad pass) (Jaden Bradley steals) | |||
11:51 | +2 | Jaden Bradley makes two point layup | 11-25 | |
11:38 | Rodney Brown Jr. turnover (traveling) | |||
11:38 | TV timeout | |||
11:11 | +2 | KJ Lewis makes two point layup (Kylan Boswell assists) | 11-27 | |
10:54 | Rodney Brown Jr. misses three point jump shot | |||
10:50 | Wildcats defensive rebound | |||
10:35 | KJ Lewis misses three point jump shot | |||
10:33 | Jaylon Tyson defensive rebound | |||
10:24 | Jaden Bradley personal foul | |||
10:11 | Jaylon Tyson misses two point layup | |||
10:09 | Fardaws Aimaq turnover (offensive goaltending) | |||
10:01 | +2 | Kylan Boswell makes two point layup | 11-29 | |
9:56 | Golden Bears 30 second timeout | |||
9:44 | Oumar Ballo personal foul | |||
9:38 | +2 | Grant Newell makes two point jump shot | 13-29 | |
9:10 | KJ Lewis misses two point jump shot | |||
9:08 | Jaylon Tyson defensive rebound | |||
9:05 | Jalen Cone misses three point jump shot | |||
9:03 | Oumar Ballo defensive rebound | |||
8:53 | +2 | Kylan Boswell makes two point jump shot | 13-31 | |
8:32 | Jalen Celestine misses three point jump shot | |||
8:30 | Keshad Johnson defensive rebound | |||
8:20 | Jalen Celestine shooting foul (KJ Lewis draws the foul) | |||
8:20 | +1 | KJ Lewis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 13-32 | |
8:20 | +1 | KJ Lewis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 13-33 | |
8:13 | +2 | Jalen Celestine makes two point jump shot (Jalen Cone assists) | 15-33 | |
7:46 | Keshad Johnson misses two point jump shot | |||
7:44 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
7:31 | Jalen Cone shooting foul (Keshad Johnson draws the foul) | |||
7:31 | TV timeout | |||
7:31 | Keshad Johnson misses regular free throw 1 of 3 | |||
7:31 | +1 | Keshad Johnson makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 15-34 | |
7:31 | Keshad Johnson misses regular free throw 3 of 3 | |||
7:31 | Oumar Ballo offensive rebound | |||
7:13 | Jalen Celestine shooting foul (Oumar Ballo draws the foul) | |||
7:13 | +1 | Oumar Ballo makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-35 | |
7:13 | Oumar Ballo misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
7:13 | Golden Bears defensive rebound | |||
6:57 | Jaylon Tyson misses three point jump shot | |||
6:55 | Oumar Ballo defensive rebound | |||
6:40 | Grant Newell shooting foul (Oumar Ballo draws the foul) | |||
6:40 | Oumar Ballo misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
6:40 | +1 | Oumar Ballo makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 15-36 | |
6:34 | Fardaws Aimaq turnover (lost ball) (Oumar Ballo steals) | |||
6:28 | Keshad Johnson turnover (bad pass) (Keonte Kennedy steals) | |||
6:24 | +2 | Keonte Kennedy makes two point dunk | 17-36 | |
6:03 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
6:01 | Keonte Kennedy defensive rebound | |||
5:38 | Keonte Kennedy misses two point jump shot | |||
5:36 | Caleb Love defensive rebound | |||
5:28 | +2 | Caleb Love makes two point jump shot | 17-38 | |
5:15 | +2 | Keonte Kennedy makes two point jump shot | 19-38 | |
4:59 | +2 | Keshad Johnson makes two point jump shot (Caleb Love assists) | 19-40 | |
4:43 | Grant Newell misses three point jump shot | |||
4:41 | Caleb Love defensive rebound | |||
4:33 | Motiejus Krivas turnover (lost ball) (Grant Newell steals) | |||
4:27 | +3 | Jalen Cone makes three point jump shot (Jaylon Tyson assists) | 22-40 | |
4:06 | +2 | Keshad Johnson makes two point jump shot | 22-42 | |
3:43 | Kylan Boswell blocks Jaylon Tyson's two point jump shot | |||
3:41 | Jaylon Tyson offensive rebound | |||
3:36 | Jaylon Tyson misses two point jump shot | |||
3:34 | Motiejus Krivas defensive rebound | |||
3:27 | +2 | Caleb Love makes two point jump shot | 22-44 | |
3:09 | Motiejus Krivas blocks Jaylon Tyson's two point jump shot | |||
3:07 | Caleb Love defensive rebound | |||
2:54 | Keshad Johnson misses two point layup | |||
2:52 | Keonte Kennedy defensive rebound | |||
2:45 | Keonte Kennedy misses two point jump shot | |||
2:43 | Caleb Love defensive rebound | |||
2:23 | Kylan Boswell misses three point jump shot | |||
2:21 | Jaylon Tyson defensive rebound | |||
2:15 | +2 | Fardaws Aimaq makes two point layup (Jaylon Tyson assists) | 24-44 | |
2:13 | Wildcats 30 second timeout | |||
2:13 | TV timeout | |||
1:58 | +3 | Jaden Bradley makes three point jump shot (KJ Lewis assists) | 24-47 | |
1:27 | Pelle Larsson personal foul | |||
1:25 | Motiejus Krivas shooting foul (Fardaws Aimaq draws the foul) | |||
1:25 | +1 | Fardaws Aimaq makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-47 | |
1:25 | +1 | Fardaws Aimaq makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 26-47 | |
1:10 | Pelle Larsson misses three point jump shot | |||
1:08 | Caleb Love offensive rebound | |||
1:08 | Fardaws Aimaq personal foul (Motiejus Krivas draws the foul) | |||
1:08 | +1 | Motiejus Krivas makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 26-48 | |
1:08 | Motiejus Krivas misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
1:06 | Golden Bears defensive rebound | |||
0:49 | +2 | Jaylon Tyson makes two point jump shot | 28-48 | |
0:41 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
0:39 | Jaylon Tyson defensive rebound | |||
0:24 | Pelle Larsson personal foul | |||
0:10 | KJ Lewis shooting foul (Jaylon Tyson draws the foul) | |||
0:10 | Jaylon Tyson misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | |||
0:05 | Jaylon Tyson turnover (lane violation) | |||
0:05 | Caleb Love misses three point jump shot | |||
0:03 | Pelle Larsson offensive rebound | |||
0:00 | End of period |