KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Arizona defeated Iowa State 82-80 in the semifinals of the 10th Big 12 Conference tournament Friday night at the T-Mobile Center.
Tamin Lipsey hit two free throws to open the scoring for the Cyclones. Iowa State’s 6-0 run was briefly paused by two free throws by Jaden Bradley, and the Cyclones went on an 8-0 run.
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Tobe Awaka scored on a layup to give Arizona its first lead. The Wildcats scored four quick points with 94 seconds left in the first half to give the top-seeded team a 37-34 lead.
Milan Momchilovic had a hot first half, hitting three three-pointers in 28 seconds, and Iowa State led 43-37 at halftime. The junior from Pewaukee, Wis., scored 28 points, 24 of which came from beyond the arc.
Joshua Jefferson grabbed a rebound and scored on a fast-break layup to give the Cyclones a 50-42 lead with 17:52 left. With 10:16 left in the game, Anthony Del Oso hit a three-pointer to give Arizona a one-point lead, 60-59. Dell’Oso scored 26 points off the bench for the Wildcats.
In the final 3 minutes and 42 seconds of the game, the two teams combined to make 7 of 7 shots. Momsilovich’s second-to-last 3-pointer of the night pushed Iowa State’s lead to 78-77 with 1:17 left. Bradley’s jumper gave the nation’s No. 2 team an 80-77 lead with 45 seconds left. Tamin Lipsey tied the game at 80 with 15 seconds left. On the next play, Bradley hit a jumper with a tenth of a second left to give Arizona the win.
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In addition to Momsilovic scoring in double figures, Jefferson scored 21 points and Toure also contributed 12 points – 6 of which came from the three-point line. Lipsey and Buchanan each scored 8 points, and Nate Hayes, who came off the bench, contributed 3 points and rebounds.
Iowa State shot 47% from the field, 45.2% from three-point range, and 50% from the free throw line. Arizona shot 55.2% overall, 50% from three-point range, and 62.5% from the free throw line.
