National Basketball Association
Arizona 70, UCLA 64
When: 9:00 PM ET, Friday, March 13, 2015
Where: MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada
Officials:
# Dick Cartmell, # Randy McCall, # Mike Reed
Attendance:
N/A
By SportsDirect Inc.
No. 6 Arizona 70, UCLA 64: Brandon Ashley had a career-high 24 points along with seven rebounds as the top-seeded Wildcats edged the Bruins in the semifinals of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.
Stanley Johnson collected 15 points and nine rebounds while T.J. McConnell added 10 points and 11 assists for Arizona (30-3), which faces second-seeded Oregon in Saturday’s championship game. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson grabbed 12 boards as the Wildcats won their 10th straight and avenged a 75-71 loss to UCLA in last season’s conference title game.
Norman Powell scored 15 of his team-high 21 points in the second half and Tony Parker added 15 for No. 4 seed UCLA (20-13). Bryce Alford chipped in 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting for the Bruins, who remain on the NCAA Tournament bubble after being outrebounded 39-30.
UCLA recovered from an early 11-2 deficit by scoring 12 of the next 14 points and entered the half tied at 27 after Alford drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Bruins moved ahead 47-40 on Powell’s basket with just over 12 minutes left, but Ashley scored six points during a 15-0 run over the next four minutes to give the Wildcats a 55-47 advantage.
The Bruins battled back and pulled within 63-61 on Parker’s layup with 1:02 left before Johnson and Looney exchanged 3-pointers and McConnell converted two foul shots to push the lead to 68-64 with 19 seconds to play. Hollis-Jefferson blocked Kevon Looney’s 3-point attempt on the other end and Arizona advanced to the conference title game for the fourth time in the last five years.
GAME NOTEBOOK: UCLA G Isaac Hamilton, who had a career-high 36 points in Thursday's quarterfinal win over USC, scored six before fouling out with 3:45 left and Arizona leading 57-53. … Arizona C Kaleb Tarczewski had five points before fouling out with just under three minutes left for Arizona, which won despite shooting 19-of-27 from the foul line. … Looney, who was hospitalized after suffering a facial injury against the Trojans, scored five points and grabbed four rebounds in a limited role.
Top Game Performances
UCLA |
|
Arizona |
Norman Powell 21 |
Scoring |
Brandon Ashley 24 |
Bryce Alford 2 |
Assists |
T.J. McConnell 11 |
Bryce Alford 4 |
Rebounds |
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 12 |
Tony Parker 7 |
Free Throws Made |
Brandon Ashley 6 |
Isaac Hamilton 3 |
Steals |
T.J. McConnell 3 |
Gyorgy Goloman 1 |
Blocks |
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson 2 |
Team Stats Summary
Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
UCLA
|
64 |
43.4 |
4-10 |
14-17 |
9 |
24 |
3 |
6 |
11 |
Arizona
|
70 |
40.0 |
7-21 |
19-27 |
17 |
36 |
5 |
6 |
9 |