In a game where it seemed like neither team could miss in the final few minutes, Arizona outlasted Iowa State 82-80 when Jaden Bradley made a shot at the buzzer to send the Wildcats to their second consecutive Big XII Tournament semifinal.
Iowa State began the game with a 14-2 lead before Arizona rallied. Arizona took its first lead, 35-34, on a Tobe Awaka layup with 2:04 left in the first half. Koa Peat extended the lead to 37-34 on the next possession. Arizona collapsed in the last 1:30 of the first half.
Iowa State forward Milan Momcilovic had his own 9-0 run in the final 30 seconds of the first half to give Iowa State a 43-37 halftime lead. Three Arizona turnovers in the last 1:02 allowed Iowa State to seize control at halftime.
Iowa State extended the lead to 50-42 with 17:53 left in the game and regained the lead on an Anthony Dell'Orso jumper with just over 10 minutes left to go in front 62-60. Dell'Orso finished with 26 points on 10-14 from the field and six out of nine on three-point attempts
THE CLOSER pic.twitter.com/7NZOYt4P34
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) March 14, 2026
Arizona won the game with its two leading scorers, Brayden Burries and Koa Peat, combining for seven points and spending the last 6:01 on the bench. Both teams made incredible shots over the final 6:01. Momcilovic and Joshua Jefferson made high-level shots for Iowa State.
Momcilovic finished with 28 points on 10-18 from the field, 8-14 on three-point attempts and added five rebounds. Jefferson finished with 21 points on 9-17 from the field, 3-7 on three-point attempts with four rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block.
Jefferson had a redemptive game after making two of 17 shots from the field in the 73-57 Iowa State loss to Arizona on March 2 as the Wildcats clinched the regular-season Big XII title. Iowa State made 14 of its 31 three-point attempts and Arizona uncharacteristically was 8-16 from beyond the arc.
Burries made two free throws with 6:01 remaining to put Arizona ahead 66-65. Arizona never trailed again after the Burries' free throws. Bradley made a layup and Ivan Kharchenkov scored in the paint to extend the Arizona lead to 70-65 with 4:09 remaining.
Momcilovic and Dell'Orso traded three-point shots on the next four possessions. Jefferson added his own three, followed by another Momcilovich three and a Bradley jump shot to put Arizona ahead 80-77 with 45 seconds left in the game. Arizona was one defensive stop away from icing the game with free throws.
After leaving the game earlier in the second half with an injury, Tamin Lipsey hit a three to tie the game with 16 seconds remaining. Arizona ran the clock down and Bradley continued his season of clutch play to send Arizona to the Big XII Tournament Championship Game in as many seasons in the conference.