Cornered Haase Shoots Down Arizona in End

For nearly the entire second half, Kansas senior Jerod Haase was a non-factor as he watched the Jayhawks and Arizona take turns with one emotional rally after another.

But in key moments, Haase made two plays that counted the most--including a three-point basket with 34 seconds remaining--to lead Kansas to an 83-80 victory over the Wildcats on Friday night in a West Regional semifinal at McNichols Arena.

In a game that featured intense defense, big-time efforts from unheralded players on both teams and momentum switches all night, it was only fitting that the team with the final rally won.

Kansas (29-4) can thank Haase for its final comeback.

With Arizona ahead, 79-78, with less than a minute remaining, Haase ran down a long defensive rebound, then took a pass from point guard Jacque Vaughn in the corner and made his only basket of the second half.

“I really was relaxed on my final shot,” said Haase, who finished with 16 points after scoring 13 in the first half. “We ran a high screen-and-roll with Jacque and Scott [Pollard]. I got the ball in the corner and I knew that it felt good when I let it go.”

Arizona had a chance to tie, but Ben Davis’ jumper in the lane fell short and after a rebound by Kansas freshman Paul Pierce, Vaughn sealed the game with two free throws with 9.1 seconds left.

“This was a game that both teams deserved to win,” said Arizona Coach Lute Olson, whose team ended the season 26-7. “We never gave up and that’s a testimony to our team.”

The Wildcats definitely had their chances but could never put Kansas away.

Arizona raced out to an early 13-point lead behind 13 first-half points by Miles Simon. Running on nearly every possession, the Wildcats had Kansas reeling before the Jayhawks mounted a comeback behind unheralded junior B.J. Williams.

Williams, whose high game this season was 10 points against Colorado in the first round of the Big Eight tournament, had eight points in 14 key first-half minutes as he helped Kansas rally to take a 41-39 lead at halftime.

“B.J.’s play was the key to the game because he really hit the boards hard and scored points when we needed to have them,” forward Raef LaFrentz said. “He stepped up for us in a big way.”

Kansas kept its momentum to start the second half as the Jayhawks opened a 72-60 lead with less than seven minutes to play. Then, it was Arizona’s turn to rally as the Wildcats’ Michael Dickerson scored 10 points in a 17-2 run that saw Arizona take a 77-74 lead with 1:55 remaining.

After Williams made two free throws for Kansas and Simon followed with two of his own, the Jayhawks cut Arizona’s lead to 79-78 on two free throws by Pollard with 1:08 remaining.

On the Wildcats’ next possession, Dickerson missed an open three-point try that was run down by Haase to set up the game’s finish.

“I told the kids at the two-minute mark to have faith,” Kansas Coach Roy Williams said. “We implored them, pleaded with them, begged, to just have faith and that it will work out if you do what you are supposed to.”