Pac-10 Conference Tournament: No. 9 Oregon State rallied from 15 points down to beat No. 8 Arizona State 71-68 in the opening round of the Pac-10 Tournament. The Beavers earn a trip to the quarterfinals and a chance to play No. 1 UCLA. Junior center Kyle Jeffers scored 20 points to lead Oregon State, which erased the double-digit deficit to take a 10-point lead late in the game. The Beavers then stopped Arizona State’s attempted comeback to preserve the win.
In No. 10 Washington State coach Dick Bennett’s last game before retirement, the Cougars couldn’t stop No. 7 Oregon sophomore guard Chamberlain Oguchi or sophomore guard Malik Hairston in a 66-55 loss. Bennett had announced this season would be his last, and the Cougars struggled to a last-place Pac-10 finish. The Ducks have underachieved this season, but they got huge performances from Oguchi and Hairston, who scored 47 of the team’s 65 points. Oguchi had a career-high 26 points, and Hairston scored 21. The Ducks play No. 2 Washington in the quarterfinals Thursday. [3/08/06]
