LAWRENCE, KANSAS (TICKER) —Arizona’s second half helped demonstrate to the nation why it is atop the rankings.
Salim Stoudamire poured in 20 of his career-high 32 points in the second half as the top-ranked Wildcats rallied from a 20-point deficit for a stunning 91-74 victory over No. 6 Kansas, which had a 25-game home winning streak snapped.
Arizona (15-1) looked lethargic and uninspired in a mistake-filled first half. The Wildcats had 10 turnovers midway through the period and Kansas took its largest lead at 44-24 on Keith Langford’s dunk off an alley-oop with 5:41 left to play.
Jason Gardner’s two free throws pulled the Wildcats within 52-39 at halftime. Arizona used stifling defense to take command with a 23-5 run to open the second half, taking a 62-57 lead on Gardner’s layup with over 13 minutes remaining.
“In the first half, Kansas just did an unbelievable job defensively,” Arizona coach Lute Olson said. “We didn’t go to the offensive glass. In the second half, we hit the boards, we took care of the ball and we hit shots.”
Kansas (13-5) missed its first seven shots of the second half and shot a woeful 29 percent (9-of-31) over the final 20 minutes. The Jayhawks were a sizzling 65 percent (22-of-34) in the first half.
“It’s impossible to figure out, much less explain it,” Kansas coach Roy Williams said. “I thought the first half we were sensational. It was a total breakdown and it is hard to say, but the second half had to be my worst nightmare and at the same time it had to be the worst coaching job I have ever done in my entire life.”
Kirk Hinrich’s 3-pointer cut the deficit to 81-74 for Kansas with 2:18 remaining. The Wildcats got back-to-back 3-pointers from Rick Anderson and Stoudamire for a 13-point cushion and were on their way to a 10th straight victory.
Gardner scored a season-high 23 points and Anderson finished with 15 points for Arizona, which posted its first victory at Allen Fieldhouse. The Wildcats settled down and had just seven turnovers in the second half.
“The number one team was not on the floor in the first half, I’ll guarantee you that,” Olson said. “I like out togetherness and our toughness (to come back).”
Stoudamire was on target throughout and nailed six 3-pointers and 12-of-18 shots overall. Arizona was also solid at the foul line, shooting 85 percent (22-of-26).
“He’s one of the leaders on the team,” Gardner said. “He stepped up and hit some big shots. I feel like he’s the best shooter in the country.”
Langford scored a career-high 27 points and Collison chipped in 17 for Kansas, which committed 10 of its 17 turnovers in the second half. The Jayhawks have lost consecutive games for the second time this season.
It was Kansas’ first loss at home since a 79-71 defeat to Iowa State on February 17, 2001. They also saw a 23-game non-conference home winning streak end. Iowa was the last non-Big 12 team to win in Lawrence, posting an 85-81 victory on December 8, 1998.
The Jayhawks seemed to respond to Wednesday’s 60-59 loss at Colorado early with stellar play in the early going. A layup by Aaron Miles on the fast break established the first double-digit lead for Kansas at 22-12 with just over 13 minutes left in the first half.
Langford’s dunk that made it 44-24 ended a 9-2 spurt as Kansas had the fans screaming early. But Gardner converted a layup as Arizona scored seven straight points to get back in the game.
“It’s a great atmosphere,” Arizona forward Luke Walton said. “In the first half, they jumped on us, but we fought back and got the win.”
Gardner was fouled just before halftime and drained two free throws to cut the deficit to 52-39. Kansas got off one final shot, but it was way off.
However, Olson complained vehemently to the scorer’s table that the clock did not start on time to no avail. He mouthed an expletive before finally making his way to the locker room.
The Wildcats scored the first 10 points of the second half as Stoudamire had a pair of layups. Kansas had five turnovers in the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half.
“If we had an answer, we would have won today,” Langford said. “I think we are just going to have to find that out. We are just going to have to keep playing, don’t give up and go out there and work harder in practice and the game.”
“We will find out if we are as tough as we think we are,” Williams said. “If we are competitive enough, we will play again on Monday night (against Texas). If we are not, we will go belly up and may not win another one.”
Channing Frye ripped down eight rebounds and Anderson and Gardner each had seven as Arizona held a 38-28 edge on the glass. Walton had seven assists to partially offset a seven-turnover afternoon.
Kansas made just 2-of-14 from beyond the arc in the second half after draining 6-of-10 in the first half. Hinrich made only 6-of-17 shots and was 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.