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Wildcats Beat Bruins to Capture Pac-12 Tournament Title

Mar 12, 2022

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Bennedict Mathurin scored 27 points and No. 2 Arizona used a massive second-half run to beat No. 13 UCLA 84-76 on Saturday night, winning the Pac-12 Tournament in coach Tommy Lloyd's first season.

The Wildcats and Bruins put on a Vegas headlining show worthy of the conference's top two seeds, trading athletic plays and big runs at the first full-capacity Pac-12 Tournament in three years.

The top-seeded Wildcats (31-4) played their second straight game without point guard Kerr Kriisa due to a sprained right ankle suffered in the quarterfinals against Stanford. His replacement, Justin Kier, was limited to 13 minutes due to foul trouble, depleting Arizona's depth even more.

Arizona labored without Kier, falling into an 12-point hole early in the second half before finding a gear few other teams have. The Wildcats went on a 22-5 run to lead 63-58 and fire up the McKale Center north (T-Mobile Arena) crowd.

Arizona kept its offensive Strip show rolling to sweep the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles for the seventh time — and lock up a likely No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The second-seeded Bruins (25-7) shut down Arizona for long stretches and appeared to be headed toward a repeat of their lopsided win in Westwood in January.

UCLA went into a lengthy offensive funk after going up 53-41, triggering the Wildcats' play-fast offense and their raucous fans. The Bruins tried to punch back, but the Wildcats countered each time.

UCLA pulled within 80-76 in the final minute, but Christian Koloko and Oumar Ballo had three blocked shots in the final 38 seconds. Ballo blocked six shots overall and Koloko four.

Jules Bernard scored 19 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. 18 to lead the Bruins.

Sin City turned into Hoops City after two years of pandemic restrictions, with five conference tournaments played over nine days. The Pac-12 finale topped the marquee a few steps from The Strip, the conference's top two teams during the regular season.

The Bruins and Wildcats put on a high-level show in the first half — when fouls weren't being called.

The Wildcats were whistled 12 times and Kier was limited to eight minutes after picking up three fouls. The Bruins were called for nine fouls, including two each on three players.

UCLA led 40-35 at halftime after Juzang hit a 3 at the buzzer.

The hits kept coming.

Kier picked up his fourth foul 62 seconds into the second half and Koloko was called for a Flagrant 1 foul on an elbow to Bernard's head.

Bernard made both free throws and Tyger Campbell hit a jumper to cap a 10-2 run that put UCLA up 50-39.

UCLA big man Cody Riley then went to the bench with his fourth foul. Arizona took advantage with its big run and kept it rolling, hitting 16 of 24 shots in the second half.

BIG PICTURE

UCLA's defense was superb early, but flailed once Arizona got rolling. The Bruins are still plenty good enough to make some noise again in the NCAA Tournament.

Arizona, after a slow start, showed off the gear few teams can match. That's why they're among the favorites to win the national title.

UP NEXT

UCLA: Will likely still be a high seed in the NCAA Tournament

Arizona: Will likely be a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday.

 

Postgame Notes

  • Adama Bal hit a pair of three-pointers in the first half of Saturday's championship game, which marked the freshman's first-ever game of multiple three-point field goals. Bal entered the game shooting 6 of 14 in 21 games this season.
  • Seven of the eight Wildcats who saw time in the first half versus UCLA scored at least one point.
  • The first half of Saturday's championship game saw five lead changes and four ties.
  • Neither team led by more than six points in the first half.
  • Center Oumar Ballo rejected six shots on Saturday, which set a new career high and set a Pac-12 Tournament single-game record. 
  • The Wildcats regained the lead in the second half when Christian Koloko scored an and-one with 12:03 remaining on the heels of a 15-2 run over the previous five and a half minutes.
  • Bennedict Mathurin eclipsed the 20-point mark on Saturday against the Bruins for the 13th time this season after achieving the feat three times as a freshman.
  • Mathurin made 13 of 15 of his free throws in the championship win over UCLA with the 13 makes being the second most ever by a Wildcat in a Pac-10/12 Tournament game behind Sean Elliott's 15 made free throws versus Stanford on March 12, 1988
  • Arizona is now 21-4 all-time as the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament and 17-4 when the conference tournament in Las Vegas.
  • The Wildcats have now won nine straight games as the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Tournament.
  • The 38 all-time wins in the Pac-12 Tournament are the most among all conference schools
  • Arizona is 12-1 all-time in T-Mobile Arena
  • Arizona claims its eighth Pac-12 Tournament title with the win and has swept the regular season and tournament titles in the same season seven times.
  • Against UCLA, Arizona is now 6-5 in the Pac-12 Tournament and 2-1 in championship games.