Arizona-St. John's Preview

Published Nov. 18, 2011 6:08 a.m. ET

foxsports

Solomon Hill had 15 points to lead No. 15 Arizona to a roller coaster victory over St. John's on Thursday night in the semifinals of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

The Wildcats (4-0) led 44-41 at halftime and were up 54-47 about 5 minutes into the second half. St. John's (3-1), one of the least experienced teams in the country, suddenly started running and taking advantage of defensive pressure to go on a 12-2 surge to take a 66-58 lead - and the Red Storm had the crowd at Madison Square Garden behind them.

Arizona, which had started hot from 3-point range before cooling off, suddenly found its stroke behind the arc again in a 16-2 run that gave the Wildcats a 74-68 lead with 3:13 to play.

The Wildcats will play Mississippi State in the championship game on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. The Bulldogs (3-1) beat No. 19 Texas A&M 69-60 in the semifinals.

Kyle Fogg had 13 points for Arizona and Jesse Perry added 11 points and 10 rebounds.