Arizona State vs California
This was a close game all the way, with Cal leading by four points in the first half and by just one in the second for a final victory of 48-43 — the first upset of the tournament.
It was a game of tight defense that limited scoring opportunities and caused lots of turnovers.
Again tonight, ASU didn't play like a team that was ready to dance. Cal did — they played with energy and confidence and that decided the outcome.
Cal essentially used just five players, with limited minutes from three others. Charli T rotated Sun Devils with what seemed like greater frequency than usual. I thought for sure that Cal would fade in the second half, but they never did.
Layshia Clarendon played the full 40 minutes, and led her team with 22 points. Cal apparently didn't have time to practice free throws last night — they hit just 57%, not much better than yesterday. But Layshia made four clutch free throws in the last 35 seconds to seal the victory for Cal.
Here are game reports:
- Cal women's basketball team beats Arizona State, advances to Pac-10 tournament semifinals by Jeff Faraudo, Oakland Tribune
- Cal women top Arizona State 48-43, face UCLA next by John Crumpacker, San Francisco Chronicle
Arizona vs USC
Arizona quite likely dashed USC's hopes for a Big Dance ticket and may have secured one of their own with a 72-61 victory.
The Wildcats and Trojans kept it close in the first half, which ended with the Wildcats ahead by just one point.
But the Wildcats came back in the second half with a long spell of can't-miss shooting — 3-pointers from Davellyn White, layups from Soana Lucet and drives to the basket from Ify Ibekwe. At one point, their field goal percentage was close to 60, and they were ahead by 17 points.
The Trojans cut into the lead towards the end, but were not able to close the gap.
Here are game reports:
- Cats Handle USC, Advance to Semis from UA Athletics
- USC Women Trip Up In Pac-10 Quarterfinal from USC Athletics
1 comment:
Marian, you are doing an incredible job with the tournament reports. I've been to every game, but always look forward to seeing the stats and hearing what others have to say about the games. As always, the FBC site is the place to be - you are such a huge part of it and you are appreciated.
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