SAN JOSE, Calif. — After three days of intense competition, there’s really no surprise as to what teams will be in the championship game of the Pacific-10 Conference Tournament.
Well, not that much of a surprise, anyway.
No. 3-seed Arizona, 74-51 winners over No. 2 Washington Sunday at HP Pavilion, takes on top-seeded Stanford, which defeated UCLA 69-64, at 7:30 tonight to decide who receives the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
Both teams are expected to receive a bid anyway, but a win would ensure a postseason treat.
Stanford survived a scare from UCLA to advance to its second straight Pac-10 Championship game. Nicole Powell led the Cardinal — which lost to Arizona State in the title game last season — with 18 points, while Kelley Suminski had 17.
Shawntinice Polk and Krista Warren dominated down low in Arizona’s win over the Huskies. Warren had 14 points, while Polk became the seventh player in Arizona’s history to score more than 500 points in a season after pounding in 22.
Andrea Lalum led Washington with 14 points, while Loree Payne, who scorched Oregon for 24 points earlier this season, was held to 3-of-15 from the field, including 2-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc.
The teams split their series during the regular season. Stanford won, 82-74, on Dec. 29 in Palo Alto, while Arizona took game two, 79-64, on Feb. 27.
“I think Arizona is just a great team,” Stanford head coach Tara VanDerveer said. “I think that the loss at Arizona should work to our advantage. Our team plays well when there’s an extra incentive, and that should be an extra incentive.”
The first day of the tournament saw close battles and not too much intrigue. No. 7 USC easily edged out No. 10 Washington State Friday, 53-46, led by Ebony Hoffman’s 17 points and tournament-record 20 rebounds.
“I was really determined to step up my rebounding, that was my goal for the tournament,” Hoffman said. “My team needed me to rebound.”
In the second game of the afternoon, No. 9 California upset No. 8 Arizona State, 46-38. Nihan Anaz had 18 points in the win and left a sour taste in the mouths of many Sun Devil players.
“I’m going to remember this feeling right now for the rest of my life, and I just don’t want to have it ever again,” ASU freshman guard Jill Noe said.
The Bruins and Trojans both came out Saturday, hoping to post upsets in their respective games.
Close, but no cigar.
USC led as late as 1:29 in the second half against Washington Saturday, but saw Giuliana Mendiola and Loree Payne ice the game late. Meghan Gnekow posted a layup with one second left, but the Huskies dashed USC’s upset hopes, 64-63.
California, playing against archrival Stanford, never really stood a chance, trailing 29-14 at halftime in the third game of the day. The Cardinal eventually came away with a 60-35 victory.
In the second game of the day, and first relative blowout of the tournament, Arizona started off its run to the championship with a 70-56 win over No. 6 Oregon State. Krista Warren had 20 points in the victory.
The loss ends the Beavers’ run in the tournament, although their 14-14 overall record leaves them eligible for the WNIT.
“It was a really hard fought game, and I was really proud of our team for being ready to play,” Oregon State head coach Judy Spoelstra said.
The Bruins iced No. 5 Oregon Saturday, 71-58, en route to its showdown Sunday with Stanford.