Wisconsin heads back to Final Four with 85-78 win over Arizona

LOS ANGELES — Forward Frank Kaminsky scored 29 points and top-seeded Wisconsin advanced to the Final Four again with an 85-78 victory over second-seeded Arizona in the NCAA West Regional championship game on Saturday at the Staples Center.

Forward Sam Dekker scored 20 of his 27 points in the second half as the Badgers (35-3) eliminated the Wildcats in the regional final for the second year in a row.

Forwards Brandon Ashley and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored 17 points apiece to lead the Wildcats (34-4), who had their 14-game winning streak snapped.

The Badgers benefited from 3-point shooting in the second half and advanced to their second straight Final Four. It’s the first time in school history that Wisconsin has appeared in back-to-back Final Fours.

Wisconsin converted 12 of 18 shots from 3-point range, 10 of those coming in the second half. Arizona managed just 2 of 6 on 3-pointers.

The Badgers dictated the action in the second half before the Wildcats made a late run. A 3-pointer by guard Gabe York brought Arizona within 76-71 with 2:22 remaining, but Dekker answered with a trey 30 seconds later.

Arizona sliced the margin to five again but got no closer.

Wisconsin used a 14-3 run to open the second half for a 44-36 advantage after forward Duje Dukan’s 3-pointer with 16:38 left. Arizona cut the deficit to 44-42 after McConnell scored on a drive with 14:59 remaining.

After a tip-in by Hollis-Jefferson pulled Arizona within 50-48, Wisconsin scored seven straight points, capped by a Kaminsky layup for a nine-point cushion with 10:55 remaining.

The Badgers pushed the lead to double digits (62-51) on a layup by guard Josh Gasser with 8:49 left.

Wisconsin started strong. The Badgers bolted to a 10-2 lead after a 3-point basket by Gasser less than four minutes into the game. However, the Wildcats bounced back, using their defensive pressure to spark a 12-4 surge.

A jumper by Ashley tied the score at 14 with 9:07 remaining in the first half. The Wildcats grabbed their first lead on a bucket by York with 3:18 left.

At the break, Arizona led 33-30.

Kaminsky scored 13 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field in the first half to lead all scorers. He also had five rebounds.

Hollis-Jefferson paced the Wildcats with eight points.

Arizona outshot Wisconsin 54.5 percent to 38.5 percent from the floor. The Wildcats committed six turnovers to four for the Badgers in the first half.

NOTES: Wisconsin has won five of seven meetings between the schools. … The Wildcats led the nation in free throw attempts (944) entering the game and ranked second in makes (672). … Arizona has a 9-1 record and Wisconsin is 17-2 against tournament teams this year. … Wisconsin G Josh Gasser played 109 minutes in the tournament with only one turnover entering Saturday’s game.