SALT LAKE CITY (AP) love caleb scored 19 points and second-seeded Arizona reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons, beating No. 7 seed Dayton 78-68 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.
The Wildcats (27-8), who also reached a regional semifinal in 2022 in coach tommy lloydIn the first season, it will face either West Region No. 6 seed Clemson or third-seeded Baylor in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
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Keshad Johnson and Pelle Larsson each had 13 points and seven rebounds for Arizona. Larsson also had six assists and Jaden Bradley He scored 12 points off the bench. The Wildcats shot 53% from the field and made eight 3-pointers.
DaRon Holmes II had 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Flyers (25-8), who were denied their first appearance in the Sweet 16 since 2014. Koby Brea added 14 points and Kobe Elvis scored 13 for Dayton, who trailed by 17 points in the first. half, but remained within reach almost until the end.
Watch the post-match press conference
Arizona prevented a potential comeback when Bradley capped a 10-0 run with a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a 66-51 lead with 6:51 remaining. Two early errors by Holmes on one-on-one trips to the line thwarted Dayton's comeback attempt.
Dayton cut the deficit to single digits several times, pulling within 71-64 on a pair of Nate Santos free throws with 55.1 seconds left. The Wildcats went 7 of 8 from the line in the final minute to put the game away.
Watch the locker room media after the game
Initially, Dayton had trouble adjusting to Arizona's fast-paced offense and defensive length. The Wildcats allowed just two baskets in a 10 1/2-minute span in the first half. The Flyers missed 15 of 17 shots as they fell into a deep hole.
Figuring out how to stop Love was also an arduous task for Dayton.
Love scored five of Arizona's first 10 baskets and scored 13 points in the first 12 minutes. The senior guard, who reached the national title game two years ago while playing for North Carolina, hit a pair of 3-pointers to spark a 10-2 run that put the Wildcats up 30-16 with 7:37 left in the game. the first. half.
Arizona extended its lead to 17 points before Dayton reinforced its defense with the ball. The Flyers increased the pressure on the Wildcat guards and forced four turnovers in a two-minute span, fueling a 10-0 run that cut Arizona's lead to 40-33 at halftime. Holmes and Brea closed the run with triples.
Arizona shot 64% from the field in the first half, but also had 11 turnovers.
UNTIL NEXT TIME
Arizona will be seeking its first Elite Eight appearance since 2015.