Colorado State hangs close but bows to Aztecs
San Jose State tops UNR in OT
Lamont Butler scored 16 points to help 20th-ranked San Diego State hold on to beat Colorado State 64-61 in a Mountain West men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal Thursday at the Thomas & Mack Center.
The top-seeded Aztecs (25-6), who didn’t lead by more than five points in the second half, next play fifth-seeded San Jose State in a semifinal at 6 p.m. Saturday.
Isaiah Stevens, who totaled 16 points and eight assists, hit a 3-pointer that put the eighth-seeded Rams (15-18) up 59-58 with 1:42 left. He also made a layup that cut San Diego State’s lead to 62-61.
Nathan Mensah then clinched the outcome with a free throw and a block.
■ San Jose State 81, UNR 77, OT: Omari Moore had 26 points and 10 assists for the fifth-seeded Spartans (20-12), who shot 49.2 percent and held the fourth-seeded Wolf Pack (22-10) to 38.3 percent. Sage Tolbert scored 20 points for SJSU. Jarod Lucas had 28 points for UNR, which trailed 31-26 at halftime.
■ Utah State 91, New Mexico 76: Taylor Funk scored 32 points for the third-seeded Aggies (25-7), who led 44-33 at halftime. They next play second-seeded Boise State (24-8) in a semifinal at 9 p.m. Friday. Josiah Allick had 14 points for the sixth-seeded Lobos (22-11). Pac-12 men At T-mobile Arena
■ No. 2 UCLA 80, Colorado 69: Freshman Amari Bailey scored 26 points for the top-seeded Bruins (28-4) in their 11th straight win. They next face fourth-seeded Oregon in a semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday. Tristan da Silva had 17 points for the ninth-seeded Buffaloes (17-16), who shot 51.0 percent.
■ No. 8 Arizona 95, Stanford 84: Oumar Ballo had 24 points to lead three 20-point scorers for the second-seeded Wildcats (26-6), who shot 63.8 percent. Tommy Lloyd won his 59th game at Arizona, the most victories in a coach’s first two seasons. Spencer Jones scored 22 points for the 10th-seeded Cardinal (14-19).
■ Arizona State 77, Southern California 72: UNR transfer Desmond Cambridge scored 27 points for the sixth-seeded Sun Devils (22-11), who led 39-25 at halftime. They next play second-seeded and eighth-ranked Arizona in a semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The third-seeded Trojans (22-10) shot 41.8 percent while limiting ASU to 39.0 percent.
■ Oregon 75, Washington State 70: Keeshawn Barthelemy and Jermaine Couisnard each scored 17 points for the fourth-seeded Ducks (19-13), who had a 19-point lead erased before closing on a 7-0 run. T.J. Bamba scored 19 points for the fifth-seeded Cougars (17-16), who had won seven straight.
Big West men
At Dollar Loan Center
■ UC Irvine 75, Cal State Bakersfield 51: Reserve J.C. Butler had 13 points, five rebounds and three steals for the top-seeded Anteaters (23-10), who led 36-18 at halftime. They next face fourth-seeded Cal State Fullerton in a semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday. Antavion Collum had 14 points, eight rebounds and three steals for the eighth-seeded Roadrunners (11-22), who were outrebounded 41-34.
■ Cal State Fullerton 62, Hawaii 60, OT: Latrell Wrightsell Jr. put the fourth-seeded Titans (1912) ahead to stay with a jumper with 1:13 left in overtime, and he totaled 14 points and 10 rebounds. Max Jones led Cal State Fullerton scorers with 18 points. Noel Coleman’s 3-pointer with five seconds left in regulation tied it for the fifth-seeded Rainbow Warriors (22-11), and he totaled 14 points. Samuta Avea had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Hawaii.
■ UC Riverside 68, UC Davis 52: Zyon Pullin scored 19 points for the third-seeded Highlanders (22-11), who shot 50.0 percent and held the sixth-seeded Aggies (18-14) to 34.0 percent. UC Riverside next faces second-seeded UC Santa Barbara in a semifinal at 8:30 p.m. Friday. Elijah Pepper had 22 points for UC Davis.
■ UC Santa Barbara 64, Cal Poly 54: Ajay Mitchell scored 24 points for the second-seeded Gauchos (25-7), who overcame a 32-26 halftime deficit. The 10th-seeded Mustangs (8-25) had a 36-27 edge in rebounds. WAC men At Orleans Arena
■ Southern Utah 76, Utah Tech 75: Jason Spurgin scored the go-ahead layup with 53 seconds left and totaled 18 points for the third-seeded Thunderbirds (21-11), who committed only nine turnovers while forcing 17. They next play second-seeded Utah Valley in a semifinal at 8 p.m. Friday. Cameron Gooden scored 35 points for the 11th-seeded Trailblazers (14-19), who shot 53.8 percent.
■ Sam Houston State 64, California Baptist 51: Donte Powers scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half for the top-seeded Bearkats (25-6), who next face fifth-seeded Grand Canyon in a semifinal at 6 p.m. Friday. The eighth-seeded Lancers (17-16), who shot 32.1 percent, trailed 33-17 at halftime.
■ Grand Canyon 84, Seattle 79: Gabe Mcglothan had 35 points and 10 rebounds for the fifth-seeded Antelopes (22-11), who shot 53.8 percent and overcame a seven-point halftime deficit. Cameron Tyson scored 27 points for the 11th-seeded Redhawks (20-12).
■ Utah Valley 72, Tarleton State 58: Justin Harmon scored 23 points for the second-seeded Wolverines (25-7), who shot 54.2 percent and held the seventh-seeded Texans (17-16) to 35.7 percent. Utah Valley had a 37-26 edge in rebounds.