Pac-12 Tournament First Round Recap
The final Pac-12 Tournament commenced yesterday with four first-round games on the slate. The first game of the day featured the eighth-seeded Washington Huskies matched up against the ninth-seeded USC Trojans. In a tightly contested battle, the Trojans were able to pull away to advance to the second round by a score of 80-74. Senior guard Boogie Ellis led USC with 25 points on an efficient 9-15 from the field. Bronny James contributed off the bench with seven points and five rebounds. For the Huskies, guard Sahvir Wheeler dropped 20 points and seven assists, while standout senior forward Keion Brooks Jr. struggled with 13 points on just 4-16 from the floor. The Trojans will face off against the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the second round.
In the second game, the fifth-seeded UCLA Bruins faced off against the twelfth-seeded Oregon State Beavers and defeated them by a score of 67-57. Sophomore guard Dylan Andrews had a career day, finishing with 31 points on 7-9 from the three-point line. Forward Adem Bona chipped in 17 points and six rebounds, although he did commit six turnovers. Oregon State was paced by guard Jordan Pope who scored 16 points, while guard Dexter Akanno put up 14 points. The Bruins will now go on to face the fourth-seeded Oregon Ducks as both teams must win the Pac-12 tournament to receive an automatic NCAA tournament berth.
Later in the evening, the tenth-seeded Stanford Cardinal upset the seventh-seeded Cal Golden Bears, winning 87-76. Stanford junior big man Maxime Raynaud and senior forward Spencer were the two leading scorers in this one, scoring 21 and 20 points, respectively. The guard combo of Jalen Cone and Jaylon Tyson combined for 37 points for the Golden Bears, but the duo shot just 12-33 from the floor. Stanford seeks to continue their run against the second-seeded Washington State Cougars.
The final game of the night saw the sixth-seeded Utah Utes demolish the eleventh-seeded Arizona State Sun Devils, winning by a score of 90-57. This one was over at the half, as the Utes led by 25 at the break. Senior guard Cole Bajema scored 22 points on 6-9 from the three-point line, while seven other Utes contributed seven-plus points. Sun Devils’ guard Frankie Collins led the team with 21 points, and only one other player was able to score double-digit points. The Utes will now face the third-seeded Colorado Buffaloes in the second round.
