COLLEGE BASKETBALL / PACIFIC 10 CONFERENCE ROUNDUP : Cal Works Overtime to Surprise Arizona

Lamond Murray knew he would be getting a pass from Jason Kidd in the final seconds of regulation after sixth-ranked Arizona missed a free throw while holding a three-point lead.

Murray took the pass and made a three-point shot from the left wing with 3.5 seconds to play to force overtime. He then made three free throws in the final minute of overtime as 19th-ranked California defeated the Wildcats, 98-93, on Thursday night at Tucson.

“I knew it was good as soon as it left my hand,” said Murray, who scored 33 points. “That’s the shot I have to take in that situation, and I stepped up to take it. I wanted the ball.”

Arizona Coach Lute Olson said his team also knew Murray, the leading scorer in the Pacific 10 Conference, would be getting the pass.

“I thought we had great pressure on him, and he still just drilled it in there,” Olson said.

Ray Owes, who was guarding Murray on the play, said he didn’t jump for a block because he was afraid of getting a foul and giving up a four-point play.

Kidd, the nation’s assist leader, had a triple-double--17 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists--and four steals as Cal improved to 10-2 overall and 3-0 in the Pac-10.

Arizona is 12-2 and 1-1.

After Cal overcame an 11-point second-half deficit, Kidd tied the score with 1:33 to play in overtime on a dunk off Anwar McQueen’s steal, and Murray made the go-ahead free throw with 52 seconds remaining, then added two more free throws with 25 seconds to play.

Akili Jones made two free throws to finish the scoring.

“We never let down,” Kidd said after Cal dealt Arizona only its third loss in its last 103 games in the McKale Center. “When you play at McKale, everybody says once you get down, you’re down forever. But we proved a point to the Pac-10 tonight. If you try, maybe it’ll just go your way this time, if you keep trying and don’t give up.”

Said Cal Coach Todd Bozeman: “Everyone made a big deal on how McKale is such a tough place to play. Our players just didn’t pay attention to any of that. They just wanted to come out and play.”

Khalid Reeves led Arizona with 23 points and teammate Damon Stoudamire scored 20.

Arizona State 78, Stanford 67--Stevin Smith scored 19 points to lead the Sun Devils (6-5, 1-1) over the Cardinal (9-3, 2-1) at Tempe, Ariz.

The victory ended the Sun Devils’ two-game losing skid.

Arizona State trailed, 11-7, in the opening six minutes, but Smith scored 13 points to spark a 31-6 Sun Devil run over the next 11:35.

During Arizona State’s run, Stanford was held without a field goal for spans of 5:34 and 7:11. The Cardinal, which made three of its first four shots, made only 25.9% of its shots in the first half.

Smith scored 16 of his points in the first half, and sophomore forward Ron Riley added eight as Arizona State took a 38-20 halftime advantage.

Arizona State extended its lead to 48-28 before Stanford rallied.

Brevin Knight scored 17 points for Stanford, all in the second half. Teammates Brent Williams and Andy Poppink also scored 17.