Bradley scores 18 points to lead No. 1 seed Arizona past Utah State 78-66 to reach Sweet 16

Bradley scores 18 points to lead No. 1 seed Arizona past Utah State 78-66 to reach Sweet 16
Bradley scores 18 points to lead No. 1 seed Arizona past Utah State 78-66 to reach Sweet 16

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Jaden Bradley scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half, Motiejus Krivas had 11 points and 14 rebounds and top-seeded Arizona beat ninth-seeded Utah State 78-66 on Sunday to advance to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in five seasons under coach Tommy Lloyd.

The Wildcats (34-2) are riding an 11-game winning streak into Thursday’s game against fourth-seeded Arkansas in the West Region in San Jose.

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The Wildcats will look to reach the Elite Eight for the first time since doing so in 2014 and 2015. They began their March Madness run with an opening 92-58 win over Long Island on Friday.

Arizona, which won all 12 Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles, led all the way in front of a contingent of loud, red-clad fans who made it feel like a home game about 400 miles from campus.

But the Aggies (29-7), who won the Mountain West regular season and tournament championships, did not bow out despite trailing 51-33 five minutes into the second half after allowing a 9-0 run.

The Wildcats then cooled off from the field and the Aggies pulled within 58-54 on a Drake Allen 3-pointer.

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It was 60-56 when Bradley, the Big 12 player of the year, finished a fast break with a high jumper, was fouled and converted the three-point play for a seven-point lead.

Allen hit a 3-pointer for the Aggies before Bradley responded with a jumper and a free throw on consecutive possessions.

Brayden Burries had 16 points and nine rebounds for Arizona, while Koa Peat had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Led by the 7-foot-2 Krivas, the Wildcats outrebounded the Aggies 54-26.

Garry Clark scored 13 for Utah State, MJ Collins scored 12 and Allen 11. Mason Falslev, the Mountain West player of the year, was held to eight points.

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AP March Madness Bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and Coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

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