Pac-12 women’s basketball tournament: Missy Peterson’s 3 lifts Washington over third-seeded Oregon State
LAS VEGAS – Missy Peterson hit a deep 3-pointer with 2.3 seconds left to lift No. 11-seeded Washington to a 68-67 upset of third-seeded Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals on Friday night.
The victory continued the Huskies’ shocking run as they became the first No. 11 seed to reach the semifinals since 2012 when Washington State did it. Next up is seventh-ranked Stanford.
With the game tied at 65, Peterson inbounded the ball, got it right back 5 feet behind the 3-point line and drained the 3-pointer. She fell down, raising both fists in the air in excitement as her teammates jumped on her. The officials reviewed the play and gave a technical foul to Hannah Johnson for coming off the bench with time still on the clock.
Aleah Goodman hit the free throws from the technical foul, but her final shot from well behind the 3-point line was short at the buzzer, setting off a wild celebration from the Huskies.
Amber Melgoza scored 21 points and Peterson had 19 for the Huskies (11-20).
This was the second year in a row that Oregon State (24-7) lost as a No. 3 seed in its opening game of the tournament.
Other quarterfinal games:
UCLA 73, Arizona State 69: Japreece Dean scored 24 points and Michaela Onyenwere added 20 to help the fourth-seeded Bruins top the fifth-seeded Sun Devils.
UCLA (20-11) was up 14 points in the third quarter before the Sun Devils (20-10) rallied to within 57-56 at the end of the period.
Oregon 77, Arizona 63: Sabrina Ionescu had 18 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds to lead the top-seeded Ducks over Aari McDonald and the No. 8-seeded Wildcats.
Ruthy Hebard led Oregon (28-3) with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
McDonald did everything she could to keep the eighth-seeded Wildcats (18-13) in the game. She had 34 points, going 12 for 21 from the field.
Stanford 72, California 54: Kiana Williams scored 23 points, Alanna Smith added 15 points and 11 rebounds, and the second-seeded Cardinal eliminated the seventh-seeded Golden Bears.
The Bay Area battle was a back-and-forth affair with Stanford clinging to a small lead in the fourth quarter. Up 55-52 with 4:11 left, Shannon Coffee hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key. It was her only basket, and it ignited a 17-2 run to close the game.
Dijonai Carrington added 16 points for Stanford (26-4).
Kristine Anigwe finished with 14 points to go along with 14 rebounds for Cal (19-12). She came into the game averaging 23.2 points.