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Budinger helps Arizona end slump with blasting of Arizona St.

Jan 25, 2007 - 5:09 AM TUCSON, Arizona (Ticker) -- Freshman sensation Chase Budinger was not going to let Arizona's recent struggles nor the absence of the team's leading scorer get him down.

Budinger had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Jawann McClellan scored 14 as the No. 19 Wildcats posted a 71-47 Pac-10 Conference rout of Arizona State.

Jordan Hill contributed 12 points and nine rebounds and Ivan Radenovic scored 11 for Arizona (14-5, 5-4 Pac-10), which snapped a three-game losing streak, its longest skid since 1983-84, the first year for coach Lute Olson.

The Wildcats won despite the loss of sophomore Marcus Williams, who was suspended from the game due to unspecified violations of team policy. The 6-7 forward was averaging a team-leading 18.1 points, and ranked second with 7.6 rebounds.

Budinger shot 6-of-12 from the field and McClellan was 4-of-7 from 3-point range, including a shot from the arc at the end of the first half that gave Arizona a 37-26 halftime lead.

The Wildcats finished 50 percent (25-of-50) from the field in helping Olson earn his 775th victory.

Christian Polk scored 11 points and Serge Angounou added 10 for Arizona State (6-14, 0-9), which has lost 10 straight games and is the only team in the Pac-10 without a conference victory.

The Sun Devils shot just 35 percent (17-of-49) in losing to the Wildcats for the 23rd time in the last 24 games of the series.