Bayless lets points - 33 of them - do talking
Photos & images All Slideshows »
Click Photo to Enlarge
More info
Player of the game:
Jerryd Bayless, who scored a career-high 33 points in his return from a knee injury.
Cheers:
To UA's Chase Budinger, who had 17 points in looking like he had less pressure on him to perform.
Jeers:
To Houston's Robert McKiver, who went 5 for 21 from the floor. He had 16 points.
ADVERTISEMENT
- Most Commented Stories Today
- Most E-mailed Stories Today
HOUSTON – Just before tipoff, Houston senior Robeert McKiver walked by fellow guard Jerryd Bayless and muttered something. The Arizona freshman just smiled.
Bayless said later he couldn’t remember what McKiver told him, but it was clearly something done to rattle UA’s leading scorer in his first game back from a knee injury.
“I think he didn’t know who he was talking to,’’ said Bayless, who was spectacular in his return as he scored a career-high 33 points in UA’s 85-71 win over host Houston.
Instead it was Bayless who did he rattling, getting to the basket – sometimes with ease – as he scored 15 points in the first half and added 18 in the second half end UA’s two game losing streak.
Had someone told him he’d score 33 points in his return – two weeks after suffering a sprained right knee – Bayless said there would be “no way.’’
Instead, he pulled it off, helping UA move to 11-5 overall. It also showed UA needed Bayless’ grit and bite, something it lacked in the four games played without him. UA went 1-3 in those games.
“We missed (his) toughness,’’ said UA interim coach Kevin O’Neill. “And talent is hard to replace – not just Jerryd. Getting Jerryd back added some confidence and swagger back to our team.
“The players know what a good player he is.’’
For most of the game, Bayless was the best player on the court. He went 7 for 13 from the floor and hit a school record 18 of 20 free throws in UA’s relatively easy win over Conference USA’s Houston (11-3). Bayless, who added nine assists and five rebounds, passed the previous record of 17 free throws by Miles Simon in 1998.
“He was very solid, not spectacular,’’ said Houston coach Tom Penders, of Bayless. “There was nothing flashy, he has a lot of poise.’’
Penders, who coached at Texas before arriving at Houston, has faced Arizona a number of times, having faced former UA stars Mike Bibby and Jason Terry.
“He’s in that category – not quite Mike Bibby in terms of the handle and speed, but maybe because he’s still not 100 percent,’’ Penders said. “His balance and stroke … it’s right there.’’
Bayless wrapped his knee in ice afterward after playing 39 minutes. It may have been sore, but you wouldn't know it during the game. With nearly every made jumper, Bayless smiled.
There were a number of times when either McKiver or Zamal Nixon, who had 24 points to lead Houston, started talking to Bayless.
“We jawed back and forth but that was just two guys being competitive,’’ Nixon said. “We knew he’s a talented kid. We’d have to be on our best to stop him.’’
Houston wasn’t at its best. Instead, Arizona got off to a very good start – trailing only 6-4 – taking a 12-6 lead.
“We played with a sense of urgency,’’ O’Neill said.
Every UA player seemingly did.
Chase Budinger added 17 points. Jordan Hill also added 17, after sitting a lot in the first half with two fouls. Houston native Nic Wise, who fouled out with 3:16 left, had five points. Jawann McClellan, also from Houston, added nine points.
Arizona, up 38-33 in the first half, got rolling early in the second half, hitting eight of its first 10 shots, taking 63-44 lead with 12:56 left.
But there was still plenty of fight in the Cougars as they close the gap at 63-51 behind three UA turnovers and a miss. It all came after Hill picked up his third foul with 14:11 left in the game. UH eventually cut the UA lead to 63-55 with 8:58 left, outscoring UA 11-0 in a four-minute span.
UA couldn’t stop Nixon or Tafari Toney, who fueled the Houston comeback. Nixon had 19 points at that point and finished with 24; Toney had 12.
Bayless – who else? – stopped UA’s scoring drought with 8:44 left when he hit two free throws to make it 65-55.
“I just came in and tried to do what I could,’’ Bayless said. “I’m still struggling a bit on defense, but on offense I did pretty well. It showed.’’
With 5:30 left, O’Neill took Bayless out of the game, but Bayless quickly went to stationary bike to keep loose. UA didn’t falter without him as Hill scored on a three-point play. Bayless was quickly reinserted back in with UA up 74-61. Bayless said he could have continued but O’Neill said he opted to take him out to give him a rest, saying it appeared Bayless needed it.
Bayless looked like he had never been injured despite not playing the last two weeks because of a right knee sprain. The guard attacked the basket, scoring eight of UA’s final 10 points to end the half. Budinger added eight points.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing about Bayless was that he was able to run at full speed and handle the work, just days after practicing at less than full speed.
“A lot of people didn’t expect us to win,’’ Bayless said. “So coming in and getting it was a very big win. Now we have to try to get back on a winning streak.’’
When was the last time AZ was 1-4 in PAC 10 play?
However, I do not think he can get Arizona to the Final Four without many of his teammates stepping up with additional contributions.
Can Hill stay out of foul trouble? Can the Cats develop any additional consistent scoring inside the paint?
Can Wise drastically improve his assist to turnover ratio? Can he hit the open jumper when needed?
Will Budinger ever be able to body up an opponent inside the paint? Can he ever post anybody up inside the paint? Will he continue to be the player with the most natural abilities with the least team contributions that Arizona has ever had? To be fair, he is playing out of position. He is too soft to be inside the paint. It is a bit too rough for him down low.
Can JM develop into the emotional & vocal leader the team requires to get to the next level? Will he be OK with concentrating on completing the additional dirty work that the team needs?
Can the Cats come together to play team DEFENSE on a consistent basis?
These are the questions that need to be pondered!