Greetings from Staples Center for UCLA’s Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinal matchup between No. 5 seed UCLA and No. 4 seed Arizona.
We’ll be posting updates here at every media timeout. You can also follow our in-game updates on Twitter.
Final “”mdash; UCLA has been eliminated from the Pac-12 Tournament by Arizona, 66-58.
After falling behind by six, the Bruins tried to foul Arizona to put them at the line and take quick shots.
With no NCAA Tournament bid in sight, UCLA may be headed to the National Invitation Tournament.
3:50 “”mdash; Arizona back on top 58-53. Forwards Travis and David Wear each have four fouls as does Arizona forward Jesse Perry. Both teams are in the bonus and the officiating has been questionable on both ends.
This could turn into a free throw shooting contest down the stretch which isn’t necessarily good news for UCLA.
7:54 “”mdash; UCLA is out to its first lead since leading 2-1. The Bruins are up 46-45 and it came in the strangest of sequences.
Looks like UCLA coach Ben Howland didn’t listen to us. He rolled the dice and put center Joshua Smith back into the game with four fouls and more than 10 minutes to play. Smith promptly picked up his fifth and fouled out at the 11:03 mark.
The Bruins picked up their play when Smith went to the bench, going on a 6-0 run with a tip-in from Tyler Lamb and jumpers from Jerime Anderson and Norman Powell.
11:39 “”mdash; Arizona keeping UCLA at arm’s length and leading 41-35. The game is getting increasingly chippy as it goes on. The Bruins have already committed seven team fouls, giving Arizona free throws on any foul from here on out.
Center Joshua Smith now has three fouls and will likely be on the bench until late in the game. Expect Arizona to continue to go at him for the foul-out.
15:49 “”mdash; A physical start to the second half has UCLA trailing still 38-31.
Lazeric Jones is being harassed on defense by Arizona’s Nick Johnson and he’s letting it get to him. UCLA is matching Arizona blow for blow on offense but pretty soon, defensive stops are going to be a must.
Halftime “”mdash; The Bruins woke up again from their slow start and cut the Wildcats’ lead to one but let it slip again and trail 29-23 at the half.
Both Jerime Anderson and Lazeric Jones have six points to lead the way.
3:54 “”mdash; UCLA trailed by 10 at one point but has cut down the lead and trails 21-16.
Guard Lazeric Jones took a hard fall and left the game momentarily under the attention of team trainers with a bloody nose. He’s back on the bench and will return to action.
7:41 “”mdash; Arizona’s Kyle Fogg just nailed a fast-break 3-pointer to put the Wildcats up 16-9. UCLA hasn’t been able to work the ball into the post and has as many turnovers (nine) as it does points.
This slow start feels similar to Wednesday’s. Arizona may be too good for the Bruins to overcome it like they did against the Trojans.
11:46 “”mdash; Arizona still leads it 9-6. UCLA seems to be picking up right where it left off yesterday with turnovers. The Bruins have eight, averaging about one per minute.
Also, start up the Joshua Smith foul-out watch. He picked up his first on the offensive end shortly after checking in.
14:15 “”mdash; Arizona is out to an early 7-4 lead thanks to two 3-pointers from Solomon Hill.
In case you missed it, No. 9 seed Oregon State upset No. 1 seed Washington in the noon game meaning UCLA would play Oregon State in the semifinals with a win today.