Iowa State falls at buzzer to No. 2 Arizona in Big 12 Tournament semifinals

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A last-second shot ended Iowa State’s Big 12 Tournament run Friday night as No. 2 Arizona defeated the No. 7 Cyclones 82-80 in a semifinal thriller.

Arizona’s Jaden Bradley hit a fadeaway jumper along the baseline over Killyan Toure as time expired, sending the Wildcats to the conference championship game and leaving Iowa State just short in what was a back-and-forth contest throughout.

The two teams, meeting for the second time in two weeks, traded baskets down the stretch in a high-scoring finish. Combined, the teams made 11 of their final 13 field goal attempts before Bradley’s buzzer-beater sealed the win.

Milan Momcilovic led Iowa State with 28 points, knocking down eight 3-pointers in one of the best shooting performances of his career. Joshua Jefferson added 21 points, while Toure finished with 12.

Tamin Lipsey delivered a key moment late in the game, hitting a 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining to tie the score at 80 before Arizona’s final possession.

Arizona was led by Anthony Dell’Orso with 26 points, including six 3-pointers. Bradley finished with 15 points, while Ivan Kharchenkov scored 17 and Tobe Awaka recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Despite the loss, Iowa State held slight edges in rebounding, 34-33, and forced more turnovers. Arizona, however, shot 55 percent from the field and outscored the Cyclones 38-26 in the paint. The Wildcats also received a major lift from their bench, which outscored Iowa State’s reserves 36-3.

The Cyclones came out strong early, jumping to a 14-2 lead in the opening minutes with early 3-pointers from Jefferson and Momcilovic. Arizona chipped away throughout the first half and briefly took its first lead with two minutes remaining.

Momcilovic responded with a flurry before halftime, hitting three 3-pointers in the final 30 seconds, including a buzzer-beater, to give Iowa State a 43-37 lead at the break.

Iowa State maintained the advantage for much of the second half before Arizona surged ahead midway through the period. The Wildcats built a five-point lead with just over two minutes remaining, setting up the dramatic final stretch.

Down the stretch, Iowa State scored exclusively from beyond the arc, with 3-pointers from Momcilovic, Jefferson and Lipsey tying the game in the final seconds before Bradley’s game-winner.

The loss ends Iowa State’s run in the conference tournament. The Cyclones will now wait for their NCAA Tournament placement, which will be announced during Selection Sunday on March 15. Iowa State is expected to begin NCAA Tournament play next Thursday or Friday.