Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament Day 1 Recap
Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas was finally jumping as it should be in early March for the Pac-12 Women's Basketball Tournament.
A year removed from a tournament that was limited to families in the stands, fans returned to the stands for what was an entertaining premiere of the tournament.
Colorado Sprints to Finish Line to Knock Out Washington 64-52
In a rematch of a first-round matchup in last year's tournament where 11th-seed Washington upset sixth-seed Colorado, the fifth-seed Buffaloes were determined to generate a different outcome against the 12th-seed Huskies.
The hoops at Michelob Ultra Arena may as well have been too small because neither team could find the bottom of the net in the first half. Both teams combined for as many turnovers as made field goals (15) with Colorado leading 21-17 at the half. Despite the 15 combined turnovers, there were just two combined points off of those turnovers.
Nancy Mulkey was a huge difference maker early for the Huskies, recording four blocks in the first half alone. Despite her 6-foot-9 frame, the Buffaloes were crashing the offensive glass, recording 15 offensive rebounds in the first half, yet their efforts were good for just TWO second-chance points.
After her team shot just 1-12 from downtown in the first half, Colorado Head Coach JR Payne said at halftime that she wanted them to take fewer three pointers. It's rarely a good idea to disobey your head coach, unless you are Mya Hollingshed.
Mulkey knocked down a three to give the Huskies their first lead, but it only lasted for 18 seconds as Hollingshed immediately responded with a three. The senior knocked down three in a row to close out the third, with Colorado shooting 5-7 from three overall in the period.
The teams traded buckets early in the fourth, with Peanut Tuitele scoring the Buffs' first seven points of the quarter. Lauren Schwartz cut the Buffaloes lead to 52-51 with 3:45 left in the game, but that would be as close as it would be again.
Colorado finished the game on a 12-1 run, including a clutch three from Frida Formann with 1:52 left. The Buffaloes earned their first win in the Pac-12 Tournament since 2018, snapping their three-game losing streak in the first round. Colorado advances to face fourth-seed Arizona at 12 p.m.
Oregon State Withstands Arizona State's Furious Rally, Wins 59-54
After Arizona State scored the first bucket of the game, Oregon State unleashed a 13-1 run to grab an early 10-point lead. Talia von Oelhoffen fueled the early burst, knocking down two three-pointers on back-to-back possessions.
The Sun Devils shot just 2-18 in the first quarter and 3-16 in the second to muster just eight points in each quarter in the first half, but somehow trailed by just eight at halftime as Oregon State struggled offensively in the second as well.
ASU finally hit the double digit mark in the third quarter, but so did the Beavers' Ellie Mack, who scored 11 points of her own on 4-5 shooting with a pair of triples. The Beavers led by as many as 18 late in the third, and it looked all but certain that they would secure the victory.
The Sun Devils' offense finally came alive in the fourth. Trailing 47-30 in the fourth, they quickly built a 20-5 run to cut the lead to just two with 1:21 left. Perhaps the biggest play of the game came from von Oelhoffen, who had been held in check offensively since her early triples. She nearly turned the ball over on a 10-second violation, but she tossed a dime ahead to Greta Kampschroeder, who laid it in to make it a two-possession lead.
Oregon State pulled away with free throws in the final seconds to advance to the quarterfinals, where top-seeded Stanford awaits. The Beavers force a rematch with the Cardinal (2:30 p.m.), who won in a blowout 79-45 in last year's semifinals.
UCLA Uses Massive Fourth Quarter to Pull Away from USC 73-60
Following a tight first quarter, UCLA used runs of 9-0 and 8-0 in the second quarter to build a double-digit lead. USC scored the last six points of the half but still trailed the Bruins 33-26.
One of the most intriguing stories for UCLA was Angela Dugalic, who transferred from Oregon and missed the first 17 games of her first season at UCLA due to injuries. She checked in for the Bruins in the second quarter and scored seven points, including her first three-pointer of the year.
Freshman Rayah Marshall led the Trojans with 10 points in the first half, adding to what has been a dynamic debut year. She and Jordan Sanders, who combined for 15 of their 20 third-quarter points, kept the Trojans within striking distance throughout the third quarter with timely baskets. Sanders splashed two free throws at the end of the third to tie the game for the first time since early in the second quarter.
Jaelynn Penn helped the Bruins pull away in the fourth, scoring or assisting on 10 of their first 12 points in the quarter. The Trojans failed to make a field goal for the first eight minutes and 17 seconds of the fourth, missing their 14 field goal attempts. By the time rubber found twine, it was a 13-point deficit with just 1:43 remaining.
Dugalic finished with her first career double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds, fueling the Bruins to a date with her former team, second-seed Oregon at 6 p.m. Ilmar'I Thomas led all scorers with 18 points while Charisma Osborne added 14 points.
Utah Freshmen Lead Utes to 66-60 Win Over California
Both teams enjoyed an impressive turnaround from tough 2020-21 seasons, meeting for the final spot in the quarterfinals. And both teams came to play early in the game, shooting over 50% in the first quarter.
Cal kept pace with the Pac-12's highest-scoring offense thanks to its tough defense, forcing Utah's shooters into difficult looks. As a result, the Utes were only 2-9 from downtown in the first half, yet still led 31-25 at halftime with Jenna Johnson pacing all scorers with 11 points.
The second half of a big game seems to be when freshman Gianna Kneepkens is at her best. She erupted in the third quarter with 10 of the Utes' 13 points, draining all four of her shots, including two threes. Her most impressive shot came with the shot clock expiring and Jayda Curry defending her tightly, hoisting an off-balanced three to beat the buzzer and nailing it, a moment worthy of a Michael Jordan shrug.
The shot made it a 10-point lead for Utah, but the Golden Bears regrouped and outscored the Utes 19-8 in the remainder of the period to take the lead into the fourth.
Curry, the Pac-12's leading scorer in the regular season, had 12 points entering the final period but was held without a field goal in the fourth quarter. Overall, Cal shot just 4-13 in the fourth while Utah went 9-17, including a dagger layup by Kneepkens with less than a minute left.
The Utes advance to the quarterfinals to face the third-seed Washington State Cougars in the nightcap at 8:30 p.m.
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