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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Arizona coach Lute Olson drew up a potential
game-winning play looking to get the ball inside.
His players had other ideas.
Brett Buscher blocked Lamont Frazier's shot in the final seconds, setting up a breakaway basket by Willie Deane as Purdue stunned Arizona (No. 2 ESPN/USA Today; No. 1 AP) 72-69 on Saturday.
|  | | Purdue celebrates its upset over Arizona behind John Wooden and coach Gene Keady. |
"It was a case of over-penetration on the part of our guards. It got us nothing," Olson said about the shot. "Guards were trying to shoot the ball from eight feet and taking it into the heart of the Purdue offense. We were not going to do something to over-penetrate like that. We've taught our guards to
forget about trying to get to the basket. It's a fast break waiting
to happen and that's exactly what it did."
Purdue coach Gene Keady said the blocked shot made him proud.
"That was an effort play and he's always going to give
effort," Keady said.
Rodney Smith led Purdue (1-1) with 20 points, and Deane and Joe
Marshall each had 16 in the John Wooden Tradition game.
"Kenny Lowe got the loose ball and passed it to me," Deane
said of the game-winner. "I wasn't aware of the clock. If I was, I
probably wouldn't have shot it."
Marshall,a transfer from Mississippi State who scored only two
points in his Purdue debut, rebounded with a 7-of-9 effort, with
two 3-pointers.
"I was tight, tense and couldn't unwind," he said of the
opener. "I came out tonight relaxed and I played much better. We
did not give up today and we fought and won."
The Boilermakers (1-1) took a 70-68 lead on Deane's basket with
1:13, and Arizona's Michael Wright made the second of two free
throws to cut it to 70-69.
Arizona (3-1) snapped a halftime tie and led by as many as seven
in the second half. The Wildcats had a 55-50 lead when Gilbert
Arenas, who scored 18 points, hurt his ankle on a layup attempt and
did not return until the final minute.
Smith's two free throws tied the game at 64 with 3:43 remaining.
Arizona regained the lead on two Jason Gardner free-throws, but
Purdue came right back to tie it. Both teams kept exchanging free
throws until it was 68-68.
"I was jacked up today, and wanted to do well," said Smith,
who led Indianapolis Pike to a state championship in 1998. "I know
I had a lot of hometown people here and had to do a good job."
Wright also scored 18 points and Jason Gardner added 14 for the
Wildcats, who won the Maui Invitational on Wednesday. The Wildcats
arrived in Indianapolis on Thursday.
The Boilermakers were outrebounded 40-20, but shot 52 percent
compared to Arizona's 41 percent.
Purdue took a 15-3 lead to open the game thanks to two
3-pointers by Smith. Smith hit another 3-pointer and Deane had a
dunk to stretch the lead to 26-15, the largest of the game.
Olson said the difficult travel schedule hurt the Wildcats
early. Jet lag and the absence of 7-1 All-American Loren Woods may have finally caught up with road-weary Arizona.
Again playing without the suspended Woods, Arizona completed a season-opening four-game road trip that will cover 9,100 miles. Woods is sitting out a six-game suspension for receiving illegal benefits. The Wildcats were playing their first game on the mainland after winning the Maui Invitational in Hawaii.
"We really had a difficult road trip, but that's no excuse," he said. "In the early going it effected us probably some, but I don't think that was the case the remainder of the game. I just felt they were much more ready to play."
The Wildcats made a furious comeback as Arenas made
two 3-pointers to help cut the gap to six at 30-24.
Gardner, who led North Central High School to a state
championship and was selected Indiana's Mr. Basketball, made two
straight 3-pointers, and Eugene Edgerson converted a half-court
steal into a layup for a 32-30 lead.
Wooden, a Purdue alum, was in attendance and presented Keady
with a trophy. Wooden told Keady he was proud of the effort and
performance of the Boilermakers.
Purdue shot 35 percent from the floor in a season-opening loss
to Central Michigan. Purdue avoided opening the season with
consecutive losses for the first time since 1976. Keady took over
in 1980.
"They played us at the wrong time," Keady said. "It was good
we got beat Tuesday. We really believed we could beat the No. 1
team. I could see it in their eyes."
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ALSO SEE
Mens College Basketball Scoreboard
Arizona Clubhouse
Purdue Clubhouse
Wooden wisdom: Less flash, more fundamentals
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Brett Buscher blocks Lamont Frazier's shot, setting up Willie Deane's layup to seal Purdue's upset.
avi: 977 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Jason Gardner keeps Arizona in the game with a 3-pointer.
avi: 731 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
Joe Marshall throws down the tomhawk jam.
avi: 673 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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