TUCSON, Ariz. — Jaden Bradley led Arizona with 17 points and Motiejus Krivas added 13 as No. 2 Arizona wrapped up the outright Big 12 regular-season crown with a 73-57 victory over No. 6 Iowa State on Monday night. The Wildcats improved to 28-2 overall and 15-2 in conference play.
Arizona had already secured at least a share of the league title with an 84-61 win over Kansas on Saturday, and Monday’s defensive performance against Iowa State ensured the conference crown alone. The win also marked coach Tommy Lloyd’s 140th victory, the most by any head coach in the first five seasons of their NCAA career.
Lloyd praised his team and noted the difficulty of winning in the Big 12, calling the accomplishment impressive and crediting his players for their effort on both ends of the floor. He also pushed back on suggestions that Arizona plays soft, pointing to the team’s rebounding and interior presence as evidence to the contrary.
Iowa State (24-6, 11-6) struggled to find offense against Arizona’s physical defense, shooting just 29 percent for the game and making only 7 of 30 attempts from long range. Tamin Lipsey led the Cyclones with 17 points. Milan Momcilovic, who entered the game as the nation’s top 3-point shooter, was limited to five points on 2-of-8 shooting and went 1-for-5 from beyond the arc.
The first half was marked by poor shooting for both squads, with Iowa State hitting 9 of 33 shots and 4 of 20 from three. Arizona chipped away throughout the half and closed it on a 15-3 run to take a 37-25 lead into intermission. In the second half the Cyclones missed their first eight shots, allowing the Wildcats to extend their lead to as many as 16. Iowa State mounted a 10-1 spurt to pull within 44-37, but then went more than five minutes without a field goal as Arizona rebuilt a 15-point advantage and closed out the win.
