3/11/2011

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Arizona spent a lost weekend in Los Angeles two weeks ago, getting swept instead of clinching the Pac-10 regular-season title the first chance it had.

The Wildcats' latest visit is going much better.

Derrick Williams scored 20 points and No. 16 Arizona held off Southern California 67-62 Friday night to earn a spot in the Pac-10 tournament title game for the first time since 2005.

"We played better. We handled it better," Wildcats coach Sean Miller said. "I thought part of what's helped us here this weekend is we came here trying to be better than we were a couple weeks ago, and our team is more together and has a better mindset. If there was a total team win we had this season, tonight was the night."

The top-seeded Wildcats (27-6) have won 12 of 14 games and will play either No. 3 seed Washington or seventh-seeded Oregon in Saturday's championship, a trophy they last won in 2002.

"As long as we get the win, I'm happy," said Williams, who is from nearby La Mirada.