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Oregon State 87, Stanford 80: "Slowly this time, the Beavers got back into the game. Oregon State tied the game at 65 with 9:25 remaining on a Calvin Haynes layup, but the Cardinal got the lead back and extended it to six with five minutes to play. But just when you thought Oregon State was going to drop their fifth game in a row, a match was lit in Gill Coliseum and the Beavers played with energy that hasn't been seen since the Arizona game on the second day of January.
After going on a 10-2 run to take a brief two point lead, Stanford tied the game back up with 1:45 left to be played. But spurred on by a ruthless full court trap and two high flying dunks in the final 30 seconds, Oregon State went on a 10-3 run to get the 87-80 victory." (Recap via Building the Dam)
California 81, Oregon 71: "All of the guys took turns coming up big. Whether it was MSF beast-moding the offensive glass, Crabbe nailed from deep, Kamp with the nifty post-ups, or Solomon in attack mode. But, it was the renewed energy on defense which ultimately turned the tide in the Bears' favor.
We used a switching zone on the perimeter to stay with their shooters, and doubled Catron forcing him to give up the ball. You have to give credit to Monty for dialing up the proper defensive adjustments as well as whatever motivational techniques, illegal or otherwise, that he employed to get the team back off the ropes." (Recap via California Golden Blogs)
USC 65, #10 Arizona 57: The Wildcats, who had finally gotten some national recognition and came into the Galen Center ranked 10th in the country, couldn't handle the LA and national spotlight and fell to the un-ranked Trojans on Thursday night. Arizona will travel up the road on Saturday to face the 2nd place Bruins, who can tie Arizona for the top sport in the conference with a victory.
You could tell that this one would be tight from the very beginning, as the two teams traded baskets for most of the first half. The Wildcats took a 28-25 lead into the locker rooms thanks to a Derrick Williams layup with 40 seconds remaining.
The second half continued the same trend, at least until the 3:45 mark. That's when trailing 54-50, the Trojans went on a 15-3 run to close out the game and pull the upset. With the victory, the Trojans moved into sole possesion of fourth place in the Pac-10.
Nikola Vucevic led the Trojans with 25 points, while Jesse Perry led the Wildcats with 12 points.
More game recaps and updated Pac-10 standings after the break
UCLA 71, Arizona State 53 : Despite the final score, the Sun Devils started out this game on fire, taking an early 21-9 lead before the Bruins could even catch their breath. But while visions of a second straight upset danced in their heads, the Bruins caught ASU dreaming and went on a 30-8 binge. The Bruins took a 39-29 lead into the locker rooms, and despite it only being a ten point game, this one seemed all to familiar to the visiting Sun Devils.
The Bruins continued their hot shooting in the second half, where it appeared that Arizona State had given up before the twenty minutes even began. UCLA extended their lead to as many as 20 in the second half, en route to their 18 point 71-53 victory.
Malcolm Lee led the Bruins with 16 points, while Chanse Creekmur led the Sun Devils with 9 points.
Updated Pac-10 Standings
1. Arizona, 23-5 (12-3)
2. UCLA, 20-8 (11-4)
3. Washington, 19-8 (10-5)
4. USC, 16-12 (8-7)
5. California, 15-13 (8-8)
6. Washington State, 17-10 (7-8)
7. Oregon, 14-13 (7-8)
8. Stanford, 13-14 (6-10)
9. Oregon State, 10-16 (5-10)
10. Arizona State, 10-17 (2-13)
Once again, if you would like an excerpt from your blog's game recap, please let me know at ConnorOSU@gmail.com.