• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Budinger, Arizona upset Oregon in Pac-10 thriller

Feb 11, 2007 - 12:43 AM EUGENE, Oregon (Ticker) -- Chase Budinger and Arizona got a bit of revenge against Oregon.

Budinger scored 30 points and Ivan Radenovic knocked down the go-ahead jumper with 10 seconds remaining to lift the Wildcats to a 77-74 upset of the 15th-ranked Ducks in a Pac-10 Conference contest.

It was the third straight victory for Arizona (17-7, 8-5 Pac-10), which dropped a heartbreaking 79-77 decision to Oregon in Tucson on January 14.

"It feels good to come back and win like this," said Radenovic, who scored just six points on 2-of-9 shooting in the first game vs. the Ducks. "It feels good for me to come back in this kind of way."

But the Wildcats exacted a measure of revenge Saturday thanks to Budinger, who registered his second-best scoring performance of the season. The high-flying freshman shot 12-of-21 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from the arc, to pace the Wildcats to their eighth win in the last 10 meetings between these conference foes.

"I had a smaller guy on me and I knew I could shoot the ball over him," said Budinger, who also had 10 rebounds. "I was getting good screens and getting open. We were running our motion really well."

Radenovic and Marcus Williams each chipped in 16 points for Arizona, which overcame a 10-point halftime deficit.

"It gives the team a lot of confidence," said Williams, who had nine rebounds and five assists. "That was a big win because it was a tough win on the road."

"Chase Budinger had a career game here tonight," Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. "Everything that they did to come back was a result of our defensive breakdowns."

The Wildcats took their biggest lead of the contest when Budinger drilled a 3-pointer with 2:13 remaining to make it 73-66.

But the Ducks responded with a furious 8-0 run capped by freshman Tajuan Porter's 3-pointer from the corner to go ahead, 74-73, with 26 seconds left.

"This game reminds me of when we played Arizona last time, where they were in control the whole way but we were abel to steal one on their home court," said Oregon forward Malik Hairston, who had 13 points.

In desperate need of a key road win, Arizona took the lead for good when Radenovic made a turnaround jumper from the right block with 10 seconds left.

"That was probably the only shot (I have made) that actually won the game," Radenovic said. "In this kind of game where we were down and came back, it's a big win for us."

"I got switched over," said Ducks forward Maarty Leunen, who was defending Radenovic on the play. "He made a good move and hit a difficult shot."

Oregon missed its chance to take the lead on the following possession when Aaron Brooks was whistled for charging near the 3-point line with 2.9 seconds left. Budinger converted a pair of free throws to seal the victory.

"We always look for (Brooks) to step up," Ducks forward Bryce Taylor said. "It's tough when our leading scorer isn't scoring well."

Taylor scored 18 points and Leunen added 17 for Oregon (20-5, 8-5), which has lost four of its last six contests after starting the season 18-1.

"This ended up being a great college basketball game," Kent said. "It was a game of runs back and forth. Unfortunately, they made the last shot that they had and we did not get an opportunity to make ours."