LOS ANGELES -- In what came down to a final three-point try by O.J. Mayo, UCLA escaped with a 57-54 victory to advance to tomorrow afternoon's championship game against the winner between Washington State and Stanford.

Despite trailing by six at halftime, the Bruins used a 12-0 run to start the second half and held on to win its 30th game of the season.

Kevin Love took care of business with Luc Richard Mbah a Moute going down with the same ankle injury that he suffered earlier in the season, as the 6-foot-10 freshman forward finished with another double-double, including a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.

Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook were the other UCLA players to tally double figures, as each dropped in 13 points.

Collison's final two points, which came from the free throw line, were particularly important as the junior point guard was forced to shoot them after being poked in the left eye, according to head coach Ben Howland.

But even with the Bruins knocking down 14 of their 19 free throws, USC managed to outshoot UCLA with a 42.6-percent clip from the field and 28.6 from three-point range. The Trojans even out-rebounded their cross-town rivals, 34-29, but did commit 13 turnovers to UCLA's eight.

Mayo led the Trojans with 15 points on just 6-of-16 shooting, including 1-for-5 from three, and added six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 38 minutes. Davon Jefferson, who torched UCLA for a season-high 25 points in the schools' first meeting at Pauley Pavilion, chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds. Taj Gibson, meanwhile, had a quiet game due to UCLA's constant double teams, finishing with just five points and a team-high nine rebounds. Daniel Hackett and Dwight Lewis both had eight points to round out the Trojans' scoring line.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Despite their seedings, it didn't matter that Cal and Washington had ended the season near the bottom of the Pac-10 standings.

And even more, Ryan Anderson didn't want to head back up north to Berkeley without another shot at UCLA.

So with two seconds left on the shot clock and under a minute to go against the Huskies, the 6-foot-10 forward knocked down a huge three from the right wing to end Washington's season and send the Bears into the quarterfinals against the top-seeded Bruins with a 84-81 victory.

Patrick Christopher finished with a game-high 25 points and Anderson dropped in 22 in the big come-from-behind win for the Bears, who trailed by as many as 12 with 17:35 left in the second half.

Afterward, Ben Braun was pleased with his team's resiliency and acknowledged the hard work down in the paint by Devon Hardin, who was sidelined last weekend in the trip down to Los Angeles to face USC and UCLA. The senior center wasn't a huge factor on the offensive end, tallying just seven points, but Hardin did grab eight rebounds and block two shots in his 20 minutes of action.

For Washington, Quincy Pondexter filled in nicely for leading scorer Jon Brockman, hitting nine of his 16 shots for a team-high 23 points and collecting nine rebounds.Artem Wallace added 11 points and nine rebounds to the Huskies' stat sheet and Ryan Appleby got all 12 of his points on four threes.

On the glass, Cal held a 43-34 advantage yet shot only 40 percent from the field for the game compared to UW's 45.3 mark. I'll have more on this game in tomorrow's column, but for now we turn our attention to the second game of tonight's action, featuring No. 7 seed Arizona needing a win over No. 10 seed Oregon State, which finished the Pac-10 season at 0-18, to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With two seconds left on the shot clock, Cal's Ryan Anderson hit what could be the game's winning shot, falling away from the right swing to swish a three and give the Bears a 82-78 lead.

Washington tried to respond at the other end of the court, but Quincy Pondexters' leaner didn't touch iron and Ryan Appleby's three-point try from the top of the key rimmed in and out.

Anderson came up with the rebound and was fouled immediately, sending him to the free throw line for two critical shots.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With two minutes left to play now, it's Cal managing to keep its lead with a nice cut to the basket by Patrick Christopher, who is leading all scorers with 25 points.

Quincy Pondexter has 23 for Washington but a costly turnover has the Bears looking to escape with a win and get a rematch with UCLA tomorrow in the quarterfinals.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- After knocking down a three from the left corner to extend Cal's lead to 75-68, Jamal Boykin has just fouled out of the game with 4:57 left as the sophomore court leaves the court to chants of "We Love Boykin" from the Cal band.

Quincy Pondexter knocked down the pair of freebies to cut the Bears' lead to five, and Washington is looking to put together a run of its own with time starting to become a factor.

With 4:25 left, it's Cal up by just three now, 75-72.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- At the eight-minute timeout, it's Cal still in front of Washington by three, 67-64, as we hit the homestretch of our first game of the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament at Staples Center.

It's been a tale of two halves for the Bears tonight, as Ben Braun's team has shown a sense of urgency in this second half of play after shooting just 32.4 percent from the field in the first half. Washington, on the other hand, shot 45.7 percent, but it was Cal who dominated the boards, 26-17, and continue to do so with Devon Hardin handling much of the business down low.

Ryan Anderson has also got his game together in this second half, and right now it's Ryan Appleby's hot shooting hand which is keeping Washington close with still plenty of time left.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Despite trailing for almost the entire first half, Cal has taken a two-point lead with less than 12 minutes remaining in the second half against Washington.

The Bears look to be playing with some more confidence after the Huskies got out to a fast start after halftime on three threes by senior sharpshooter Ryan Appleby.

But it's been another Ryan -- Ryan Anderson that is -- who has stepped up for the Bears, finding his rhythm from the perimeter and taking over the paint with Washington's leading scorer, Jon Brockman, sidelined for tonight's game.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With a little more than four minutes gone in the second half, Cal has countered Washington's earlier run and cut the Huskies' lead to just five at 55-50.

The Bears have got it done on the defensive end, blocking shots and stepping in the passing lanes, and that has carried over to the offensive end, where the Bears seem to be getting better looks from the perimeter and easy points down low.

That play has got the Cal bench and particularly sophomore forward Jamal Boykin excited on the sideline, and it seems like every other second I look over at Ben Braun and his players I see Boykin standing up, pumping his fists and cheering for his teammates.

With that in mind, we got a heck of a ballgame once again on our hands, and if Cal continues to play up to its potential, then we could have quite a finish at the end of this one.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- After missing all four of his field goal attempts, including two from three-point range, in the first half, senior guard Ryan Appleby has found his stroke from the outside early on in the second half.

The Stanwood, Wash., native has hit three threes in a matter of 2:30 and the Huskies have their biggest lead of the game, 53-41, thanks to a 13-3 run out of the halftime break.

Ben Braun just called his timeout to calm his team down and quiet the storm for the moment, but the Bears are going to need a run soon if they hope to keep things close with UW even without Jon Brockman on the floor tonight.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- After 20 minutes of back-and-forth play, it's Washington clinging to a 40-38 halftime lead as both teams head to the locker room to regroup and get ready for the second half of play.

Leading all scorers is Quincy Pondexter, who is stepping up in place of Washington's leading scorer Jon Brockman and has contributed 11 points and four rebounds. Artem Wallace is playing in place of Brockman and has seven points and three rebounds at the half.

Cal, on the other hand, has two players already in double figures, as sophomore off-guard Patrick Christopher has tallied 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting, including 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.

Point guard and floor leader Jerome Randle has also done a solid job for Ben Braun's team, dropping in 10 points and committing just one turnover in playing all 20 minutes of the first half.

But let's get back to the action as both teams get ready to start the second half of tonight's No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed matchup.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- While Cal has worked hard to try to cut into Washington's lead, it's the Huskies who have jumped out to a 38-32 lead on Joel Smith's layup and foul (with the freebie still to come).

Right now Washington is looking like the quicker and more active team, as Cal has had trouble stopping drives by several Husky players on the last few times down the floor.

Patrick Christopher, meanwhile, is leading Cal with 10 points and First Team All-Pac-10 selection Ryan Anderson has just six as we go under the four-minute mark here at Staples.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- In the early going here it's been Cal and Washington battling back and forth and staying right with each other along with the way.

But the Huskies just separated themselves for a bit by scoring three straight times down the floor to gain a 26-20 lead.

Cal coach Ben Braun has just taken a timeout to quiet the crowd and get his team to regrouped after two stellar plays by sophomore forward Quincy Pondexter, who is having a nice game in his native state after attending high school in Fresno, Calif.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- With a little less than 12 minutes left in the first half at Staples Center, it's Washington holding a slight 15-11 lead on Cal.

Sitting next to the Cal bench, I've got to watch Ben Braun work the sidelines a little bit and you can he's been a little bit frustrated with the way the Bears have been executing on offense.

Cal's defense, meanwhile, continues to do a decent job against the Huskies, who haven't got a lot of good looks early on but have been able to get inside. The Bears, on the other hand, have had some nice opportunities around the goal but have had shots rim out on them.

We'll see how the rest of this half plays out as both teams desperately want to win this one and give UCLA a hard time in the quarterfinals tomorrow.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- We're about three minutes in to our first game here at Staples Center, and it's Cal deadlocked with Washington early on.

Ryan Anderson has given the Bears a boost with a couple nice moves, but the Huskies' Quincy Pondexter just knocked down a three from the left wing to tie things up at 6-6 during the first media timeout with 15:49 left in the first half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES -- Good evening from The Staples Center, the home of the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers and the house that some say Shaquille O'Neal built, as we get set for the opening game of the Pacific Life Pac-10 Tournament.

Tonight's first matchup features the No. 8 seed Washington taking on ninth-seeded Cal, who is looking to get over that heartbreaking 81-80 defeat last Saturday against UCLA just across town at Pauley Pavilion. The Bears finished the regular season with a disappointing 15-14 overall record and just a 6-12 mark in the Pac-10 play. First Team All-Pac-10 selection Ryan Anderson is the anchor for Ben Braun's squad, as the junior comes into tonight with a 21.5-point and 9.9-rebound average. Diminutive point man Jerome Randle, meanwhile, played well in the loss at UCLA and comes in averaging 11.9 points and 3.9 assists per game. Patrick Christopher is the third Cal player to average double figures this season, registering 15.7 points to go along with 3.6 rebounds.

For Washington, junior forward Jon Brockman has been the go-to all season long, leading the Huskies in points (17.6 per game) and rebounds (11.5 per game). Long-range sharpshooter Ryan Appleby, the one-time transfer from Florida, is the other UW scorer to average double digits this season, checking in at 11.5 ppg and 1.5 rpg. Much like Cal, Lorenzo Romar's team also finished the regular season in heartbreaking fashion, dropping a 76-73 decision in double overtime to in-state rival Washington State.

This year, the two schools split the season series, each taking a game on the other team's home court. But tonight's game will mean even more for the Bears and Huskies, who will both be trying to continue their seasons with a win and advance to tomorrow's quarterfinals.

With that said, we turn our attention to the hardwood, where both teams look to get ready to take the court.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

LOS ANGELES - It's obviously a big game because traffic on Westwood Boulevard was a nightmare. People were actually trying to get into UCLA's Pauley Pavilion on time for tonight's Pacific-10 Conference showdown between the Bruins and Stanford.

The conference regular season title is on the line and a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Stanford (24-4, 13-3 Pac-10) is ranked No. 7, so this is a must win if the Cardinal wants to stay in the west during the tournament. The Bruins (26-3, 14-2), ranked No. 2 in the coaches' poll, would clinch the conference crown outright with a win and likely lock up a No. 1 seed.

The best part about this game? UCLA freshman Kevin Love facing off against the 7-foot Lopez twins, Brook and Robin. If you love post play, this game should be as good as an ice cream cone in the middle of July.

Posted by Bob Holtzman at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington isn't going down at Madison Square Garden without a fight, as the Huskies trail by just three, 88-85, and Jonny Flynn stands at the line with 19.7 seconds remaining.

Flynn missed the first one but made the second to put the Orangemen up four, as Washington missed a three at the other end and was forced to foul Arinze Onuaku, who's had his own struggles so far at the foul line. Onuaku knocked down the second of two, and with 10 seconds left, Jim Boeheim's team looks like it will hang on to a 90-85 victory as Syracuse fans around the house begin chants of "Let's Go, Orange."

Donte Greene really took the Orange on his shoulders and had an all-around game, finishing with a game-high 25 points, seven rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals.

Syracuse had three other scorers in double figures, with Eric Devendorf making 6-of-14 shots from the perimeter to tally 18 points despite committing six turnovers.

Quincy Pondexter, on the other hand, was the sparkplug for Washington, registering a team-high 20 points and 15 rebounds -- eight of them coming on the offensive end.

Jon Brockman, however, was hampered by foul trouble for both halves, leaving the game with 10 points after committing his fifth foul with two minutes left in the contest.

Junior point guard Justin Dentmon was the other Husky to play well for Lorenzo Romar, knocking down 7-of-14 shots for 16 points in addition to four assists and four rebounds.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington has just cut the lead to seven, but Donte Greene has really stepped up for Syracuse tonight after an impressive 21-point, 10-rebound performance against Ohio State on Wednesday night in the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-off.

Jon Brockman has fouled out of the game with a little more than two minutes remaining, and there doesnt look to be much hope with the Huskies unless junior point guard Justin Dentmon can lead them back.

After a nice drive and layup by Dentmon, it's Syracuse up by just five, 86-81, with 89 seconds to play.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington is making Syracuse playing a faster pace than it's used to, as the Huskies are having to scramble being down 10 with five minutes remaining.

Justin Dentmon made a nice defensive play to deflect a lob to Donte Greene and came back the other way to score on a smooth-looking drive. And with Tim Morris hitting a big three from the right wing, Syracuse's lead is down to just five at 80-75, as Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim takes a timeout in hope that his team can regroup.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Sophomore center Joe Wolfinger has already fouled out for Washington with 7:01 left to go in this first of two games at Madison Square Garden.

No. 21 Syracuse is looking to be in control as Donte Green has just hit two free throws to put the Orangemen back up by 12, a lead that they've held for most of the second half, at 76-64.

Venoy Overton has continued to attack the basket for Washington, but Jon Brockman has been fairly quiet for Lorenzo Romar's ball club as the game approaches the five-minute mark. The Huskies will need their big junior forward from Snohomish, Wash., if they hope to make a come back in this one.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Things have really picking up in the final 10 minutes of No. 21 Syracuse's battle with Washington in the consolation game of the Season NIT Tip-off.

Paul Harris has continued to attack the rim as he did for much of the first half, and got the crowd going when he stole the ball midcourt and took it all the way for the dunk.

Quincy Pondexter came back for the Huskies with an alley-oop slam of his own, but Syracuse is still controlling this one with a 70-58 lead heading under 10 minutes.

Washington is going to need to get some stops if Lorenzo Romar hopes to get back in this one, and the Huskies' head coach has just reinserted 7-foot center Joe Wolfinger into the game looking to keep Syracuse's fab freshman forward, Donte Greene, off the glass.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Donte Green just jammed one home to put Syracuse up by seven, 57-50, but Washington's Tim Morris responded right back down the floor with a jumper from the right wing to keep the Orangemen's lead at five.

Since then, though, Syracuse has gotten up and down the floor, pushing its lead to 60-52 on some fastbreak points and forcing Washington to take a timeout at 14:29 in the second half.

The Huskies look to be playing hard but can't seem to get some easy looks around the basket to go down, and Quincy Pondexter has looked particularly frustrated -- one of the nice perks of sitting baseline for tonight's games rather than up in Section 69 of The World's Most Famous Arena.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington has started this second half with some fire, coming out of the gates with back-to-back buckets while Quincy Pondexter has just knocked down two free throws to cut Syracuse's lead to 52-44 with more than 18 minutes remaining.

Jon Brockman has just layed one up and helped his team on the next possession by taking a charge. But after pulling down a rebound and missing a putback layup, the junior forward was called for his third foul, which caused Washington coach Lorenzo Romar to explode at one of the officials. Seconds later, Romar was hit with a technical foul.

Now with 15:58 remaining in the second half, Syracuse's lead is down to just five, 55-50.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington's looking flustered and frustrated right now after Scoop Jardine just completed a three-point play on a fastbreak drive and score.

Jon Brockman has taken a seat on the bench for the Huskies after being called for a traveling violation at the other end, and without the 6-foot-7 junior in the game, it will be interesting to see where Lorenzo Romar's team finds its offense in these last couple of minutes during the first half.

Syracuse, in the meantime, has picked it up from the foul line, as Arinze Onuaku and Donte Greene have both made their attempts on back-to-back possessions to put Syracuse up, 48-37, at halftime.

The Orange's Donte Green is leading the way for both teams, scoring 15 points in the first half on 5-of-7 shooting to go along with three rebounds, two assists and two blocks so far. It looks like the freshman forward from Baltimore, Md., is off to another quality game after putting up 21 points and 10 rebounds on Ohio State Wednesday night in the tournament's semifinals.

Eric Devendorf is also having himself a nice game, putting up nine points in just less than 18 minutes of action.

On the other side, it's been the backcourt that's got it done for Washington, as freshman Venoy Overton leads the way with nine points while junior point guard Justin Dentmon has recorded eight on 4-of-7 shooting.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 05:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- No. 21 Syracuse has surged ahead in this one, 31-25, with just more than six minutes to play in the first half as the Orangemen has got some easy buckets in transition after long-range shots from Washington led to several run-outs.

Venoy Overton, though, has kept the Huskies close, knocking down a three from left wing, while Jon Brockman continues to battle inside with Donte Green and Arinze Onuaku.

Syracuse's struggles from the free throw line have continued, as Onuaku just missed another from the charity stripe.

Scoop Jardine has just picked up an intentional foul on Overton during a Washington fast break, and the Huskies will get two shots and the ball after this time.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- There's 13:13 left in the game and Syracuse is already in the bonus with Washington committing its seventh foul of the game.

But it hasn't really helped as Washington has run up on the Orangemen, 21-14, a minute later.

The Huskies are getting easy looks inside, and Quincy Pondexter has really killed the Orange early with his athleticism on the block.

Paul Harris has been the one Syracuse player that hasn't been lifeless on the floor, attacking the rim and playing help defense on Washington's formidable froncourt.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Things are going back and forth here at the Garden between No. 21 Syracuse and Washington, as Jon Brockman has just been hit with his second foul only 4:15 into tonight's NIT Season Tip-off consolation game.

While not nearly in the same numbers as Wednesday night, Syracuse fans have returned today to root their Orangemen on, as Washington leads 9-8 on some nice shooting by freshman shooting guard Venoy Overton, junior point Justin Dentmon and sophomore center Joe Wolfinger.

Washington doesn't seem to have any trouble penetrating that patented 3-2 zone that Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has stuck by over the years, and it helps too when the Huskies are shooting as well as they from the perimeter right now.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Greetings once again from Madison Square Garden, where we see two more games today in the NIT Season Tip-off.

Up first is the consolation game between No. 21 Syracuse and Pac-10 foe Washington, as both are coming off loses in Wednesday night's final.

Syracuse had a big lift from freshman forward Donte Greene, who tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds in the loss Ohio State, but young point guard Jonny Flynn really struggled, finishing with no points on 0-of-6 shooting.

The Orange will need a spark from the backcourt, and Eric Devendorf could be Jim Boeheim's guy after having a solid game against the Buckeyes with 15 points, five assists and three rebounds. Junior forward-center Arinze Onuaku is also coming off a nice game in Wednesday's semifinals, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds in a 79-65 loss.

For Washington, Jon Brockman is the go-to guy for Lorenzo Romar's Huskies, as the junior led all scorers with 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting against No. 16 Texas A&M. Justin Dentmon and Quincy Pondexter will need to be big for Washington if it hopes to leave New York and make that long trip back to Seattle with a win in its pocket.

Here comes the tip...

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 04:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- No. 16 Texas A&M will be headed to the finals of the NIT Season Tip-off finals after disposing Washington with a 77-63 victory at Madison Square Garden tonight.

Mark Turgeon's club was bolstered by solid play in the frontcourt, as senior Joseph Jones led the way with 17 points and Dominque Kirk added 15 of his own to the Aggies' scoring line.

One major disappointment for Texas A&M was junior guard Josh Carter, who never seemed to find his shot against the Huskies, finishing with just five points and six rebounds. Donald Sloan, however, filled in nicely for the Aggies, picking up the slack with 16 points, five rebounds and two assists in a grind-it-out win.

Washington's Jon Brockman was the high scorer for the night, recording 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds, five of them coming on the offensive end.

Justin Dentmon was the other Husky to tally double-digit points with 10, but the junior point guard really struggled from the field, making just 3 of his 12 attempts (0-for-4 from three).

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 09:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Quincy Pondexter has just fouled out of the game for Washington, and it's looking more and more like No. 16 Texas A&M is gaining control of this game with its defense.

But the Aggies continue to struggle from the line, and I'm sure it's something that Texas A&M coach Mark Turgeon will touch on in the post-game press conferences that will follow this one.

After a Josh Carter dunk, it's Texas A&M up, 64-56, with just less than three minutes left to play.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- No. 16 Texas A&M is clinging to a one-point lead, 55-54, over Washington with 6:17 remaining in the first game of the NIT Season Tip-off semifinals in The City That Never Sleeps.

The Aggies have opened things up with Donald Sloan starting to heat up from the outside, canning a three to put Texas A&M up 60-54 as we approach the five-minute mark.

Lorenzo Romar and the Huskies are staying close, however, and it's looking like this one is going to be a dogfight to the bitter end.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Jon Brockman has been the catalyst all night for Washington, holding down the middle for Lorenzo Romar's Huskies with 15 points and 12 rebounds so far as we go below 12 minutes in the second half here at Madison Square Garden.

No. 16 Texas A&M is hanging on to a 49-46 lead after trailing throughout the first half and shooting just 39.4 percent from the floor before halftime.

Washington, on the other hand, hit an impressive 53.3 percent of its field goals in the first half, but the Huskies aren't showing that same kind of efficiency now after halftime.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Texas A&M has got out to the gates early, tying the game at 38-38 just three minutes into the second half, and Washington looks frustrated on the offensive end as junior forward Jon Brockman just picked up his second foul on a charging call.

The Aggies, on the other end, are starting to pick up the pace, getting up and down the floor on Huskie misses yet struggling at the free throw line.

After dominating the glass with offensive rebound after offensive rebound, the Aggies have gained their first lead of the game, 40-38, with 15:45 remaining in the second half.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- You would have thought with 7-footer DeAndre Jordan and 6-foot-9 senior Joseph Jones that No. 16 Texas A&M would be dominating the paint, but it's been Washington who has really controlled play in the frontcourt, swatting away shot after shot from the Aggie big men.

Donald Sloan just launched what would have been a halfcourt shot at the buzzer, but the ball clanked off the heel of the rim as we head to halftime with Washington leading by four, 36-32.

Jon Brockman is leading all scorers with 13 points and already has 11 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action. For Texas A&M, DeAndre Jordan has only four points but has been big on the glass with nine boards. Sloan is the high scorer for the Aggies, tallying seven points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field.

While the first half had some spectacular moments between Venoy Overton (four points and four assists in the first half) and Jordan, it will be interesting to see what adjustments Mark Turgeon will make with his team at halftime.

But either way, Texas A&M will certainly need to shoot the ball much better from the perimeter if they hope to open things up down low in the second half for Jordan and Joseph Jones.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- DeAndre Jordan just threw down a big jam of his own with a little more than eight minutes remaining, as No. 16 Texas A&M now trails just by one, 25-24, against a scrappy Washington team.

The Aggies are looking a little more fluid on offense but have yet to lead this game. Washington has found a nice balance between Jon Brockman's physical play down low and their outside perimeter game between freshman Venoy Overton and junior Joel Smith.

What's really hurting Mark Turgeon's team right now is its struggles from the foul line, where neither DeAndre Jordan nor Joseph Jones have found any rhythm so far.

Brockman, meanwhile, just ran the floor and got rewarded for his hustle, throwing down a one-handed dunk that had the MSG crowd ooing and awing as Washington looks to maintain its 36-30 lead heading into halftime.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Washington freshman Venoy Overton just made a dazzling steal and took it the other way for the jam to put Washington up, 9-3, with 14 minutes remaining in the first half.

Texas A&M has struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter so far, as Josh Carter hasn't found himself getting many good looks at the basket with the Huskies playing a suffocating brand of defense, a characteristic that's been a part of most of Lorenzo Romar's teams.

Overton, meanwhile, continues to dazzle the few fans that are here at the Garden on the night before Thanksgiving, making a circus layup on a spectacular drive to the basket.

Speaking of spectacular, the Texas A&M dance team is making their first appearance on the court during a timeout, and it's a little hard to focus on the game right now with the Huskies leading, 15-7, at the 11:39 mark.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 07:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NEW YORK -- Greetings from The World Famous Madison Square Garden, where tonight we'll witness the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-off.

The first matchup of the night pits Pac-10 rep Washington against No. 16 Texas A&M, who is out to a 4-0 start on the season after wins over McNeese State, Oral Roberts, UTEP and Quachita Baptist (who???).

While their win over UTEP showed that the Aggies are vulnerable, Mark Turgeon's ball club has two veteran stars in Josh Carter and Joseph Jones, along with a lottery pick candidate this year in 7-foot freshman center DeAndre Jordan.

For Lorenzo Romar's Washington Huskies, junior Justin Dentmon runs the point avergaging 11.7 points and 3.0 dimes a game. Jon Brockman mans the middle after two productive years in Seattle and really carried the Huskies in their 82-68 win over in-state rival Eastern Washington last week. We'll see if Brockman can continue that against a quality Texas A&M team after averaging 23.0 points and 11.7 rebounds in his first three outings. Joel Smith, meanwhile, should also look to provide a spark for Washington tonight as the Huskies' third double-digit scorer.

Posted by Josh Herwitt at 06:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)