Pac-10 Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: No. 4 Southern California moves on in the Pac-10 Conference Tournament after handling No. 5 Arizona State 59-55. Freshman guard O.J. Mayo led the Trojans with 23 points and six assists. The Trojans were the beneficiaries of yet another questionable call by Pac-10 officials as Arizona State was whistled for an offensive foul on a tip-in that would have tied the game in the final minute.
No. 1 UCLA scorched No. 9 California 88-66 by shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 56 percent from three-point range. The Bruins hit 14 three-pointers, led by junior guard Darren Collison, who had five three-pointers and a game-high 19 points. UCLA will meet USC in the semifinals.
No. 3 Washington State ousted No. 6 Oregon 75-70 after building a big first-half lead and withstanding a second-half charge by the Ducks. Senior guard Derrick Low led the Cougars with 18 points. Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the field, but Washington State protected the lead by committing only six turnovers in the game.
In the semifinals, Washington State will play No. 2 Stanford, which beat No. 7 Arizona 75-64. Sophomore twin 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez combined for 34 points and 18 rebounds as the Cardinal destroyed the Wildcats on the boards, collecting 47 rebounds to Arizona’s 25. The Cardinal held Arizona to 36.4 percent shooting from the field. [3/13/08]
