Arizona perseveres, to play Oregon in Pac-12 final
Arizona appears to have all the qualities one would look for in a team to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
The Wildcats have talent. They have enough depth. They are well-coached. They are experienced.
And perhaps most important of all, Arizona is resilient.
The top-seeded Wildcats showed they have a sturdy chin as they took several big blows from UCLA in Friday’s Pacific 12 Conference Tournament semifinals and prevailed 70-64 in front of a sellout crowd of 12,916 at the MGM Grand Garden.
Arizona (30-3) will face Oregon (25-8) for the title at 8 p.m. today. The Ducks defeated Utah 67-64.
“I thought (Friday) in a one-game type of setting, I thought represented kind of who we’ve been really from start to finish,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “(Friday’s) game will only help us prepare for next week in the NCAA Tournament and so will (today) as we pursue this championship.”
After falling behind 47-40 with about 12 minutes remaining, it appeared Arizona was in trouble. But the Wildcats put together a 15-0 run over a seven-minute span in the second half to take a 55-47 lead.
Junior forward Brandon Ashley, the former Findlay Prep standout who finished with a career-high 24 points, was the catalyst in the run, scoring six of the 15 points.
“I credit my teammates for finding me,” Ashley said. “I hit some big shots, but so did Stanley (Johnson). I think it was a great overall team performance.”
Johnson, a freshman forward who finished with 15 points, said the Wildcats’ resolve ran too deep to lose.
“We kept fighting,” he said. “We worked too hard to give up. If we were going to lose, we were going to lose going out strong. If they were going to beat us, they were really going to have to beat us.”
UCLA showed some grit itself. Despite dealing with Isaac Hamilton’s foul trouble — he had three first-half fouls, picked up his fourth early in the second half and was limited to 15 minutes after fouling out with 3:45 to play — the Bruins kept finding a way to maintain contact.
Norman Powell, UCLA’s 6-foot-4-inch power forward, took over, driving to the basket, hitting 3-pointers and giving his team a shot.
It was 68-64 Arizona with 19 seconds left, and there was time to extended the game. But the Bruins’ Kevon Looney took a contested 3-point shot with 12 seconds left that was blocked, and Arizona had survived.
Looney, who suffered a facial fracture during Thursday’s win over Southern California and was wearing a protective mask Friday, scored just five points, seven below his average.
Powell finished with 21 points, but it wasn’t enough and UCLA (20-13) awaits its fate Sunday with the NCAA Tournament selection committee.
“It’s really frustrating,” Powell said. “To come up short just a couple of possessions at the end. But I’m proud of the way we were able to fight and hang around with this team. I feel like we all believe that we can be one of those (NCAA) teams.”
In the other semifinal, Joseph Young lived up to his selection as the conference player of the year, as the Oregon senior hit a 28-foot 3-pointer as time was expiring to put the Ducks in the championship game.
Young, who had 25 points, drove into the frontcourt, pulled up well beyond the arc and caught nothing but net.
The Utes (24-8) had tied the game seconds before 64-64 as Delon Wright had converted two free throws.
Wright finished with 16 points, while teammate Jordan Taylor led Utah with 24 points. Utah was just 12 of 19 from the foul line, while the Ducks were 10 of 12, and that may have been the difference in the outcome.
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.
