Stanford rolls past Arizona State in Pac-12 tournament

Chasson Randle scored 21 points and Stanford jumped on third-seeded Arizona State early in a 79-58 win over the Sun Devils in the Pac-12 tournament quarterfinals Thursday night at Las Vegas.

Stanford (21-11) built an early 10-point lead, answered when Arizona State tried to make a run and pulled away down the stretch to give its NCAA tournament hopes a huge boost.

Dwight Powell scored 15, Josh Huestis added 12 and the Cardinal shot 54% to earn a spot in Friday’s semifinals against second-seeded UCLA.

Arizona State (21-11) got off to a sluggish start for the third straight game and never fully recovered as its top players struggled against Stanford’s defense.

Colorado 59, California 56: Askia Booker scored 17 points, Xavier Talton added 13 and the Buffaloes held off the Golden Bears.

Colorado (23-10) led by as much as 11 before the Bears made a late run to make it close.

The Buffaloes went ahead 58-54 when Booker made two free throws with 12.1 seconds left, but Eli Stalzer only converted one of two free throws after Justin Cobbs scored on a layup.

Cal raced down the court to get off a potential tying three-pointer, but Cobbs’ shot came up short.

Josh Scott scored 11 points for the Buffaloes, who will face top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Arizona in the semifinals Friday night.

Cobbs finished with 21 points, five assists and four rebounds. Tyrone Wallace added 13 points for Cal (19-13), which shot five of 22 from three-point range.

Arizona 71, Utah 39: Nick Johnson scored 14 points, T.J. McConnell added 13 and No. 4-ranked Wildcats overwhelmed the Utes defensively in a rout to match the most lopsided game in Pac-12 tournament history.

After playing two close games against Utah during the regular season, top-seeded Arizona (29-3) opened the tournament with a spirit-crushing defensive performance.

Energized by a raucous crowd that made it feel like the McKale Center, the Wildcats provided a glimpse of what can happen when one of the nation’s best defenses gets rolling.

Arizona ran through the record book against Utah (21-11), setting marks for fewest points allowed, fewest field goals (12) and lowest shooting percentage (25).

The Wildcats held the Utes to 13 points in the first half, another record, and matched UCLA’s 32-point win over Oregon State in 2006 to move into Friday’s semifinals against Colorado.

Jordan Loveridge and Delon Wright, Utah’s leading scorers, combined for seven points on one-of-four shooting.