UCLA, USC reach Pac-12 semis

LAS VEGAS — Aaron Holiday had 34 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, lifting UCLA to an 88-77 victory over Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday.

UCLA (21-10) got off to a fast start, withstood a late first-half run and held the Cardinal at arm’s length in the second half.

Holiday and Thomas Welsh carried most of the load, leading the Bruins into Friday’s semifinals against No. 15 Arizona. Welsh had 18 points and 11 rebounds. Holiday made 12 of 25 shots, including 5 of 9 from the 3-point arc.

Stanford (18-15) pulled within four by halftime, but never could make up the ground with point guard Daejon Davis in foul trouble.

KZ Okpala led the Cardinal with 23 points, and Reid Travis finished with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

UCLA entered the Pac-12 Tournament on the NCAA Tournament bubble. A regular season-ending win over rival and fellow bubble team Southern California gave the Bruins some breathing room, but a loss to Stanford could make them sweat a little on Selection Sunday.

USC 61, Oregon State 48

LAS VEGAS — Southern California had some good offensive moments against Oregon State, just not consistent through the entire game. The Trojans’ defense: Spot on all night. Chimezie Metu had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Southern California smothered Oregon State defensively to beat the Beavers 61-48 in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night.

“We really played team defense today,” USC coach Andy Enfield said. “Very proud of our players. They challenged every shot, rebounded the ball, and we made enough shots to win.”

Second-seeded USC (22-10) jumped on Oregon State early and hounded the Beavers all night, holding them to 31-percent shooting.

Jordan McLaughlin had 13 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Trojans, who move on to face the Oregon-Utah winner in Friday’s semifinals.