No. 2 Arizona outlasts Stanford 84-80 in Pac-12 quarters

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

Christian Koloko scored 24 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 20 and No. 2 Arizona held off Stanford 84-80 on Thursday in the Pac-12 quarterfinals.

The top-seeded Wildcats (29-3) had a hard time shaking the Cardinal in a win late in the regular season and faced a similar issue to open the tournament.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Ninth-seeded Stanford (16-16) beat Arizona State on a buzzer-beater to open the show in Las Vegas on Wednesday and hit Arizona with a flurry of 3-pointers in the encore.

The Cardinal went 11 for 20 behind the arc and Spencer Jones hit shots from everywhere while scoring 28 points. Stanford shot 54% against the Pac-12's best defensive team in an atmosphere that felt like McKale Center north.

Arizona made the biggest plays when it counted most to earn a spot in Friday's semifinals.

Arizona's Kerr Kriisa (25) passes around Stanford's Maxime Raynaud (42) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the quarterfinal round of the Pac-12 tournament Thursday, March 10, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Koloko put Arizona up 82-77 on a two-handed dunk, but Harrison Ingram (16 points) cut the lead to two on a corner 3 with 13 seconds left. The Cardinal quickly fouled Pelle Larsson and he made two free throws with 8.5 seconds left to send the Wildcats into the next round.

Arizona took an unexpected road to Las Vegas, winning a Pac-12 regular-season title not even their coach expected.

Using principles he helped forge 22 years as Mark Few's assistant at Gonzaga, Tommy Lloyd turned the Wildcats into a fast and furious pack.

Arizona's offensive possessions are the shortest in Division I