Caleb Love hit a game-tying heave from beyond half court at the end of regulation — in what he later called the “best moment of my life” — and made two more 3-pointers in overtime, finishing with 22 points and lifting Arizona to an 86-75 win over No. 3 Iowa State on Monday night.
The Cyclones (17-3, 7-2 Big 12) appeared to be in control when Joshua Jefferson hit one of two free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining, but they left too much time on the clock.
Love, who was 1-for-10 on 3s at that point, took a couple of dribbles and banked in his shot from behind the midcourt logo, sending a roar through McKale Center.
Love then hit two corner 3s in overtime, and Carter Bryant added another to cap Arizona’s first win over a top-five opponent as an unranked team since beating No. 3 UCLA in 1979.
“They were better down the stretch in regulation than we were; you’re just trying to hang in there and give yourself a chance,” said Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. “Desperation 3 was probably not the chance you’re trying to give yourself — but it made for great theater.
“It was a great moment for Arizona basketball.”
Love’s shot at the buzzer was his second career go-ahead or game-tying field goal in the final 10 seconds; as a sophomore with North Carolina against Syracuse on Feb. 28, 2022, he hit a go-ahead 3-pointer from roughly 30 feet with eight seconds left.
“You just got to give it up to God at that point,” Love said of his shot against the Cyclones. “We practice half-courters in shootaround, you know, that’s the fun of it. We do that shot at practice, and like I said, you got to give it up to God, and that was all him.”
Love noted that he always is going to have confidence in himself to keep shooting, whether he’s “1-for-10 or 10-for-10 … you got to have confidence in yourself that the next one’s going in.”
Tobe Awaka finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats (14-6, 8-1).
Tamin Lipsey scored 18 points, and Keshon Gilbert added 17 to lead the Cyclones.
Iowa State had a seven-point advantage in the first half before Arizona answered with the biggest run against the Cyclones this season, scoring 16 straight points to go up 34-25.
Lipsey, who registered 14 first-half points, pulled the Cyclones within 34-30 at halftime on a corner 3.
The Cyclones have had a knack for pulling out close wins, but they fell flat after Love’s heave. It was their fifth loss to an unranked opponent as a top-five team and their second such defeat this season (Jan. 18 at West Virginia).
Arizona outscored Iowa State 15-4 in overtime. The Wildcats’ 11-point margin of victory tied their largest in an OT game in program history.
Iowa State shot 1-of-6 and had three turnovers in the extra period.
ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
