Ashley to the rescue

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

On a night when the shots weren't falling, it was Brandon Ashley to the rescue.

Ashley scored 24 points in 34 minutes, hit 9 of 11 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds and added a blocked shot for good measure in leading the fifth-ranked Arizona Wildcats (30-3) to a 70-64 win over UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Ashley got the job done as the Wildcats shot just 40 percent from the field (22 of 55).

Arizona battled with the Bruins in the first half only to find themselves tied after 20 minutes of action, 27-27, but the Wildcats gradually pulled away in the second half, outscoring the Bruins 43-37 to advance to the tourney final on Saturday against the winner of the Oregon-Utah semifinal, scheduled for later tonight.

The Wildcats had trouble with the UCLA zone defense, but they finally got it going midway through the second half with a 15-0 run and led 55-47. The Bruins closed the gap to 66-64 with 19 seconds left, but they would get no closer as T.J. McConnell and Ashley hit two free throws apiece in the closing seconds.

Stanley Johnson hit 3 of 6 from three-point land to finish with 15 points and nine rebounds, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson scored eight points and grabbed 12 rebounds. McConnell was solid once again with 10 points, six rebounds and 11 assists.

Way to go, Wildcats.

And now it's on to the FINAL!