Anderson’s shot puts Bruins in Pac-12 final

Entering the Pacific 12 Conference tournament semifinal Friday against UCLA, all Arizona talked about was not letting Bruins point guard Larry Drew II beat them like he had earlier this season.

True to their intent, the Wildcats kept Drew in check, holding him to no points and four assists.

But Arizona lost track of freshmen Jordan Adams and Kyle Anderson, and that’s why the fourth-seeded Wildcats will fail to cut down the nets in the conference tournament for a 13th year in a row.

Adams was sensational, scoring 24 points, and Anderson hit the tiebreaking putback with 22 seconds to play, giving the top-seeded Bruins a 66-64 victory before a sellout crowd of 13,127 at the MGM Grand Garden.

UCLA (25-8) will play third-seeded Oregon (25-8) at 8 p.m. today for the Pac-12 title and the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks eliminated 10th-seeded Utah, 64-45.

But if the Bruins celebrate tonight, Adams will not be climbing any ladders. He broke his right foot on the final play Friday and his season is over. Adams, who came into Friday’s game averaging 15.0 points and 3.8 rebounds, had the same injury in high school — a broken bone of the fifth metatarsal.

“I think we did a good job of keeping our composure,” Anderson said. “The leaders on our team stressed to the five guys that are out there that we have to stay calm. I think that’s what we did a really good job of.”

The Bruins rallied from a 49-38 second-half deficit to go ahead 60-58 with 3:11 to play on two free throws by Bishop Gorman product Shabazz Muhammad.

Muhammad again struggled with his stroke at the Grand Garden and scored 11 points on 4-for-11 shooting. He had six rebounds, but mostly deferred to teammates on offense.

“I was trying to get rebounds, and I’m trying to win games,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of guys on this team who can get the job done.”

Drew said he didn’t want to force the issue, so he handed the baton to Adams and Anderson.

“They did a great job of focusing on me,” Drew said. “I felt like I was running into a wall all night. But the beauty of this team is on any given night, anyone can go off.”

As Adams was hitting free throws (he went 11 of 13) and making shots all over the floor, Anderson was making steals and helping set up his teammates. He had five of UCLA’s nine steals as the Bruins forced 13 turnovers while committing only five.

But Anderson’s biggest play came by being in the right place at the right time, as he corralled the long rebound on Adams’ missed 3-point attempt and made the putback to give UCLA just enough to prevail.

“I think everyone on this team is used to winning,” Anderson said. “I stressed to the guys that we’ve got to make plays, and I think when you’ve got guys who are used to having success, that comes with the territory.”

It was a tough way for Arizona (25-6) to exit the tournament. Solomon Hill, the Wildcats’ senior forward and inspirational leader, had a great look to tie the game with five seconds left after faking a 3-point shot, but his shot rimmed out. His pump fake drew Adams into the air, and the UCLA freshman landed awkwardly on his right foot.

“We don’t need a 3; Solomon made a great move,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “It’s that single play that sometimes is blown out of proportion. It’s almost like the last play of the game wins or loses the game. But the truth is, it’s so many plays throughout. We couldn’t make a stop when we needed to.”

But Miller did talk about one play — a technical he was assessed with 4:37 to play and the Wildcats clinging to a 56-54 lead. He didn’t think one was warranted. In a two-point game, the two free throws Adams made after Miller was nailed proved to be mighty important.

“That tech is hard to swallow,” said Miller, who insisted he didn’t use foul language in arguing about an Arizona turnover. “When you lose by two and you gave them two and you’re the coach, you have to take that burden and I’ve got that with me.”

Wasted in Arizona’s loss was a big game off the bench by freshman forward Brandon Ashley. The former Findlay Prep star had 15 points in 25 minutes. Fellow Findlay alumnus Nick Johnson had 10 points, four assists and three turnovers.

In the other semifinal, Oregon took charge early and built a 21-10 lead 13½ minutes in. The Ducks didn’t appear fatigued by their overtime win over Washington on Thursday. They led 29-15 at the half and extended the lead to 41-22 four minutes into the second half.

The Utes tried to rally, pulling as close as 47-39 with 9:38 to play. But Oregon’s superior depth allowed it to keep Utah at bay, and now the Ducks get another chance to take down the Bruins. Oregon won the teams’ lone meeting this season, 76-67, on Jan. 19 at Pauley Pavilion.

Damyean Dotson and E.J. Singler led Oregon with 14 points apiece, and former Bishop Gorman star Johnathan Loyd scored 10.

Brandon Taylor led Utah (15-18) with 13 points. Jared DuBois, Utah’s leading scorer, was held scoreless, going 0-for-8 from the floor.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.