No. 2 Arizona pulls away late for win over Stanford

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Arizona had to rebound from the mental rush of winning the Pac-12 regular-season title against Southern California two nights earlier. The physical toll of long travel delays was an even tougher challenge, causing a sluggish start against a hungry opponent.

The Wildcats fought their way through it to remain undefeated at home in their first season under coach Tommy Lloyd.

Bennedict Mathurin scored 24 points, Christian Koloko added 21 points and 10 rebounds, and No. 2 Arizona overcame a slow start to beat Stanford 81-69 on Thursday night.

"That USC game seems a month ago to me, but it was less than 48 hours," Lloyd said. "I'm proud of the way they bounced back."

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Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin (0) drives past Stanford forward Harrison Ingram during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Thursday, March 3, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz. Arizona won 81-69. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

The Wildcats (27-3, 17-2 Pac-12) clinched their first Pac-12 title in four years against No. 16 Southern California on Tuesday, then waited through a slog of plane issues that led them to getting home after 4 a.m. on Wednesday.

The short turnaround seemed to take its toll early against Stanford. The Wildcats struggled getting shots to fall, allowed the Cardinal pick them apart defensively and fell into a nine-point hole.

Arizona appeared to get a jolt of caffeine just before halftime to track the Cardinal down, kept it rolling to start the second half and pulled away to continue its roll into next week's Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas.

"We were hot since the start of the season and I think it surprised some