Big West Conference Tournament Opening Round: No. 5 UC – Irvine slipped past No. 8 UC – Riverside 53-52 in a wild finish. The Anteaters broke a 51-51 tie with Mark Kelley’s basket with a minute remaining. The Highlanders made one free throw with 45 seconds to go to cut the lead to one. They had two chances to win in the final 10 seconds but couldn’t connect on either shot. UC – Irvine advances to play No. 4 UC – Santa Barbara in the quarterfinals.
No. 7 Pacific pulled off a mild 71-54 upset against No. 6 Cal State Northridge. The Tigers got 16 points from Steffan Johnson and Reggie Vezia. Pacific built a 15-point halftime lead and cruised to victory in the second half. The Tigers will play No. 3 Cal State Fullerton in the quarterfinals. [3/07/07]
