Los Angeles, CA

LaQuinton Ross hit a triple with two seconds left to carry second seed Ohio State to a 73-70 triumph over sixth seed Arizona, securing a spot in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament Thursday at Staples Center.

Ross scored 14 of his 17 points off the bench in the second half while Deshaun Thomas tallied a team-high 20 points for the Buckeyes (29-7), who will gun for a second straight Final Four appearance against the winner of La Salle-Wichita showdown.

Ross joined Vander Blue, Tyrone Garland, and teammate Aaron Craft as the only players in the last two Men's basketball championships to make a potential game-tying or go-ahead field goal in the final 10 seconds of a game.

Craft, who hit a game-winning triple against Iowa State, had 13 while Sam Thompson had 11 as the Buckeyes notched their 11th straight victory since February.

Mark Lyons scored 23 points while Solomon Hill added 16 points for the Wildcats (27-8), who lost an 11-point lead in the second half.

Kevin Parrom sank two foul shots to give the Wildcats a 33-22 lead with 6:24 to play in the first half.

However, the Buckeyes outscored the Wildcats, 12-4, in the last six minutes of the opening half to trim the gap to 38-34 at the break.

In the second half, Lenzelle Smith scored four in the Buckeyes 10-0 run to take a 44-38 advantage.

Later in the second half, Thomas buried a triple to put the Buckeyes ahead by 10, 53-43, with 11:04 left to play.

The Wildcats did not wilt under pressure, tying the count at 70 with 29 seconds left behind a three-point play by Lyons off a foul by Ross.

Ross, however, atoned for his mistake by sinking a triple with two seconds left. Smith then sealed the win with a steal off an inbound pass by Hill.

LaQuinton Ross hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer with 2 seconds to play, and Ohio State advanced to the brink of its second straight Final Four appearance with a 73-70 victory over Arizona on Thursday night in the West Regional semifinals

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LaQuinton Ross Trey Lifts Ohio State Past Arizona, into Elite Eight