Bibby on Target for Arizona

Guard Mike Bibby, the best Arizona prep player since Sean Elliott in the 1980s, made an impact in his first Pacific 10 Conference game for the Arizona Wildcats.

Bibby, a rare freshman starter for Arizona Coach Lute Olson, made two free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining Thursday night to give the ninth-ranked Wildcats an 81-80 victory over the California Bears at Tucson in the Pac-10 opener for both teams.

“Mike Bibby is a special guy,” Olson said. “He’s not a guy that looks like pressure bothers him.”

Guard Prentice McGruder had a chance to win the game for Cal (9-3), but his 15-foot jumper rolled around the rim as the buzzer sounded.

McGruder had also missed a 1-and-1 free-throw situation with 9.4 seconds left, allowing Bibby to dribble the length of the court before being fouled by Alfred Grigsby. After Bibby, who had 15 points and eight assists, made the first free throw to tie the game, Cal called a timeout but the ice-the-shooter tactic didn’t work.

“On the last shot I was looking for . . . [teammate Michael Dickerson], but then I saw a lane to the basket and I took it,” Bibby said. “There was more pressure on the first free throw than the second. I was nervous, but after I made the first one I was fine.”

Arizona (8-2) had a 58-42 lead with 15:49 left, but several turnovers and five consecutive missed three-point shots allowed California to go on a 22-4 run for a 76-72 lead with 2:06 remaining.

The Wildcats regained the lead, 79-78, on Michael Dickerson’s three-point play only to have the Bears go back ahead on Ed Gray’s follow shot, setting the free-throw stage for Bibby and McGruder.

Dickerson had game-high 27 points. Grigsby led Cal with 21.

No. 21 Stanford 81, Arizona State 65--Center Tim Young had 21 points and 12 rebounds as the Cardinal (8-1) won its seventh consecutive game in the Pac-10 opener for both teams at Tempe, Ariz.

Stanford led throughout the game, but Arizona State (7-5) closed within 60-52 with 10:20 left on Gee Gervin’s three-point basket.

Kris Weems, taking over at the shooting guard spot from departed long-range specialist Dion Cross, answered with his third three-point basket to key an 8-1 run that gave the Cardinal a 15-point lead.

Arizona State’s Michael Batiste was the game’s leading scorer with 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting.