LOS ANGELES – Taylor Rochestie scored 20 points, including 11 over the final 61/2 minutes, and No. 11 Washington State pulled away to a 74-64 victory over Washington in the Pac-10 tournament quarterfinals Thursday night.
The Cougars’ 25th win was the second most in school history, matching the 1916-17 team. Their third victory ever in Pac-10 tourney play advanced them to today’s semifinals against third-seeded Southern California.
Derrick Low added 15 points and Robbie Cowgill 14 for Washington State (25-6), which swept its in-state rival during the regular season for the second year in a row, making it five straight wins over the Huskies.
Quincy Pondexter led the Huskies (19-12) with 15 points. He was called for traveling and tossed up an airball in the closing seconds. Jon Brockman added 13 points and eight rebounds, helping the Huskies dominate the boards 31-21, including a 15-8 edge on the offensive glass.
Washington State never trailed after snapping a 56-all tie with 61/2 minutes remaining. The Cougars closed out the game with an 18-8 run, including hitting 13 of 16 from the line.
Rochestie had seven in a row during the run.
The teams traded scoring runs earlier in the second half, with the Cougars’ 12-5 spurt giving them a 52-45 lead – their first since early in the game. The Huskies answered with an 11-4 burst to tie the game at 56.
Neither team led by more than seven points in the first half, when Washington State shot 58 percent from the floor, yet trailed 36-32 at the break. Tied at 21, the Huskies outscored the Cougars 15-11 to end the half, with Ryan Appleby hitting three 3-pointers in the spurt.
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