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BOULDER, Colo. -- For a team that built its reputation on stifling defence, fourth-ranked Arizona sure showed some offensive prowess Saturday night. The Wildcats routed the Buffaloes 88-61 for their first win in Boulder since 1973. They did it by holding Colorado without a bucket until 9:50 remained in the first half, then by shooting 84.6 per cent in the second half. "They whipped us tonight every which way you can whip a team," Colorado coach Tad Boyle said. Freshman Aaron Gordon shook off a poor performance at Utah last week by scoring 21 of his season-best 23 points in the second half and Nick Johnson added 20 points for the Wildcats, who made 22 of 26 shots after halftime. "Weve had a few shootarounds here, we felt comfortable in their gym, it all just clicked for us," Johnson said. It was a rare breather for the Wildcats (25-2, 12-2 Pac-12), who scrapped their way through a series of close games since beating Colorado by 12 in Tucson, Ariz., on Jan. 23, before close losses at Cal and archrival Arizona State dropped them from the top spot in the AP Top 25. After that first game in Tempe, Buffaloes forward Xavier Johnson dissed the Cats, saying, "theyre not that good." He also said that even without injured star Spencer Dinwiddie, the Buffaloes were the more talented team and he suggested the rematch in Boulder would be a blowout. He was right, but it was the Wildcats who made this one a laugher, not the Buffaloes, who were throttled by Arizonas suffocating defence and their hot shooting hands. "I dont think you have any of our players saying anything negative about Colorado, saying, Were going to win by 20," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "We dont do that. For us, we have to play the right way. We have to compete hard. And certainly we respect Colorado." Coming off an emotionally draining win over the Sun Devils on Wednesday night that burnished their NCAA tournament credentials, the Buffaloes (20-8, 9-6) came out ice cold, missing their first 14 shots. They trailed 22-5 before Jaron Hopkins sank a 3-pointer from the left side 10:10 into the game. That sparked a 16-4 run by Colorado -- with seven points coming from the free throw line -- to make it 26-21 and force an Arizona timeout. The Wildcats settled down thanks to a baseline drive by Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and a pull-up jumper by T.J. McConnell. The only field goal by a Buffaloes starter before halftime came on Askia Bookers jumper with 2 seconds left in the first half. After a horrendous start, however, the Buffaloes clawed their way back before Gordon sank three straight layups and Johnsons jumpers helped the Wildcats pull away. In celebration of senior night, Boyle gave 7-foot centre Ben Mills his first start of his career. He took the place of Josh Scott, who had started every game since Feb. 27, 2013, when he was dealing with a concussion. Scotts absence was quickly felt as Colorado was outrebounded 6-1 and fell behind 8-1 before Scott replaced Mills 2:49 into the game. But the Buffaloes didnt turn things around right away, as the Wildcats built those advantages to 10-3 on the boards and 14-3 on the scoreboard by the 14:39 timeout. Thanks to a 12-3 advantage at the stripe, however, the Buffs trailed just 31-25 at the half after shooting 6-for-27 from the floor. Scott, who led the Buffs with 18 points, sank a jumper to open the second half that made it a four-point game, but the Buffs couldnt get any closer and the Wildcats began to pull away when Kaleb Tarczewskis 3-pointer made it 40-33. "I think we got a little jump shot-happy, but I think thats a credit to them," Scott said. "I think we turned the ball over a couple of times at some key points in the game and its mainly because they pack the paint." About the only thing the crowd had to cheer about by the end was Mills 3-pointer in the final minute, the first of his college career. The 27-point loss was the biggest at home in the Boyle era, and he said it was particularly disconcerting with ESPNs College GameDay crew in town. "Our fans were so ready for this game, for this win, and we gave them nothing," Boyle said. "Thats a sick feeling to go home with and to live with. I havent been embarrassed many times as a coach, but I was embarrassed tonight at the way our team played." His players were, too. "Were all embarrassed, man, really embarrassed," Booker said. "This is something that, whether were on the road or at home, this should never happen again." . Kamloops, B.C., the host city of this years Tim Hortons Brier, is where he won his first Canadian mens curling crown in 1996. . How foolishly wrong I was. Forget the now inherent corruption and back handed favours that plague the beautiful game. Goal Line Technology? Youre having a laugh. As for them penalty cheating bandits, footballs lawmakers upend them by awarding the penalty to the opponent each time a player attempts to con the referee into awarding ghost penalties. . Sharper briefly appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court, where his arraignment was postponed until Feb. 20 at the request of his lawyers. They issued a statement saying he would be exonerated. Prosecutors then filed a motion to increase Sharpers bail to $10 million and outlined details of investigations involving him in Las Vegas, Tempe, Ariz. . -- Kevin Stadler might be playing in the Masters for the first time, but hes already showing his old man a thing or two. . - The Carolina Panthers believe Steve Smith lost "top-end" speed, a big reason the franchise parted ways with its all-time leading receiver.ATLANTA - The Braves found a temporary fix for their overstuffed rotation on Friday by moving Alex Wood to the bullpen for a week. Wood had been scheduled to start Sunday against the Chicago Cubs but instead will become Atlantas second left-handed reliever in addition to Luis Avilan. Aaron Harang will make Sundays start. Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said Wood will be back in the rotation on May 17 against St. Louis. Gonzalez said hell take another look at his rotation in a week. "This buys us eight days," he said. "Putting Wood in there kind of gives us a little breather and kind of gives him a little breather." The 23-year-old is 2-5 with a 3.00 ERA in seven starts — including back-to-back 1-0 losses. He was on pace for about 220 innings, which would surpass his total of 139 2-3 innings last year. "Thats a pretty big gap," Wood said. "Thats part of it. Right now we need help in the bullpen, too. It works best for everybody." Atlanta could make a similar move with Wood after his start against the Cardinals by giving him another short stretch in the bullpen. The plan would keep Wood stretched out for occasional startts until he makes a full-time return to the rotation.dddddddddddd "They made it clear they see me in the rotation for the future," Wood said. He was 3-3 with a 3.13 ERA last year in 11 starts and 20 relief appearances. He had a 2.08 ERA out of the bullpen. "Its nice to go to the bullpen and have some experience throwing out of it, thats for sure," Wood said. "I know what to expect and I know what to do to stay ready and stay prepared. ... Its a compliment, going to the pen and pitching in tight situations where they need me." Wood said it wasnt easy to pitch in relief for two months in 2013 and then move to the rotation. He spent 10 days in the minor leagues, making one start, before returning to Atlanta to join the rotation. "Its definitely difficult going that long without starting in terms of getting back in the swing of things," he said. Mike Minor and Gavin Floyd have returned from the disabled list to assume starting spots. That left the Braves with a surplus of starters, even after rookie David Hale was sent to the bullpen. The rotation also includes Julio Teheran, Ervin Santana and Harang. ' ' '
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