SATURDAY: NO. 7 UA 83, NO. 5 OREGON 80
Cats on a roll after winning Pac-12 title
LAS VEGAS - Arizona stayed resilient while its best player was suspended, fought through injuries, kept finding ways to win.
That composure helped the Wildcats share the Pac-12 regular-season crown with Oregon and withstand a furious rally by the Ducks in the conference title game.
Now they’re Pac-12 Tournament champions.
Led by ever-calm sophomore guard Allonzo Trier, No. 7 Arizona outlasted No. 5 Oregon 83-80 on Saturday night in the Pac-12 final to enter the NCAA Tournament with a surge of momentum.
“It has never been easy for us,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said.
Arizona (30-4) played superb defense while building a 14-point lead and shot 58 percent overall to answer when Oregon made a big push in the second half. Trier was the catalyst. He sat out the first 19 games of the season after being suspended for performance-enhancing Late Saturday: No. 7 Arizona 83, No. 5 Oregon 80 ARIZONA (30-4) Markkanen 4-4 3-6 11, Pinder 2-2 0-0 4, Alkins 3-8 2-2 9, Trier 5-12 10-11 23, Allen 5-9 3-3 13, Ristic 2-3 1-1 5, Comanche 5-6 0-0 10, Jackson-Cartwright 3-4 0-2 8, Simmons 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 29-50 19-25 83.
OREGON (29-5) Brooks 8-18 6-6 25, Bell 4-5 8-10 16, Pritchard 0-3 1-2 1, Dorsey 7-15 6-7 23, Ennis 5-13 2-2 12, Bigby-Williams 1-2 1-3 3, K.Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Benson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-58 24-30 80. Halftime—Arizona 35-29. 3-Point Goals— Arizona 6-17 (Trier 3-6, Jackson-Cartwright 2-3, Alkins 1-4, Allen 0-2, Simmons 0-2), Oregon 6-22 (Brooks 3-7, Dorsey 3-8, Benson 0-1, Pritchard 0-2, Ennis 0-4). Fouled Out— Brooks. Rebounds—Arizona 29 (Trier 8), Oregon 25 (Bell 10). Assists—Arizona 11 (Allen 4), Oregon 6 (Pritchard 3). Total Fouls— Arizona 23, Oregon 20. A—18,927. drugs and got better as the season progressed. Trier hit some big shots when the Ducks charged and calmly made two free throws in the final 17 seconds, sealing the Wildcats’ second Pac-12 title in three years.