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One-time rivalry now one-sided
The once-fierce basketball rivalry between UCLA and Arizona again followed a familiar script.
Home or away. Ranked or unranked. It does not matter. The Bruins walked away with an 83-60 victory over the Wildcats on Thursday at Pauley Pavilion -- their eighth consecutive win over an Arizona team that had once been considered their toughest conference rival.
Defense leads to upset of ASU
Defense did it.
When all else was failing, better guard 'em, USC's Trojans seemed to be saying to themselves in a desperate attempt to stay alive against Arizona State's 16th-ranked Sun Devils Thursday night.
Stay alive the Trojans did in holding on long enough to allow themselves to get an offensive run at the end for a thrilling 61-49 Pac-10 upset at Galen Center.
Sanchez's final call an out route
In the big picture, compared to President Bush's speech, the farewell address from USC's Mark Sanchez wasn't the day's most important goodbye.
But Sanchez, after an emotional Heritage Hall swan song Thursday when he told Trojans teammates, coaches, staffers and fans that he was leaving for the NFL, then heard from his coach that he'd made the wrong call.
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Patton: Sanchez following his heart to NFL
If it were, me, I'd have stayed.
If I were Mark Sanchez, I would have nodded my head when Pete Carroll told me that quarterbacks who leave college early for the NFL have a less than 50 percent chance of succeeding.
Lancers knock off another ranked foe
California Baptist basketball is becoming more than just "The Mark Roussin Show."
With their resident All-American slowed and having one of his least productive offensive nights of the season, the Lancers' surrounding cast took over and carried the Lancers to a 79-69 victory over No. 23 The Master's on Thursday night.
Basketball team loses its first at home
During its record winning streak at home, the UC Riverside men's basketball team seemed to play its best in the final five minutes, either holding onto a lead or making a charge for a win.
That trend ended Wednesday night as conference favorite Cal State Northridge rallied, then pulled away for a 64-56 Big West win at the Student Recreation Center.
Patton: UCR weaknesses exposed
No one said this was going to be easy, building into a Big West force.
Wednesday night UC Riverside proved it, squandering a 12-point second-half lead and losing to a wounded Cal State Northridge team, 64-56.
USC's Daniel Hackett kept it all in focus, even after losing the season's first matchup with UCLA, which left his Trojans at 1-2 in the Pac-10 and having to fight their way out of the bottom half.
"We started 0-3 last year," the junior point guard said Wednesday. So there's time to come back. But this year's Pac-10, better than expected, won't make that easy.
USC's Daniel Hackett kept it all in focus, even after losing the season's first matchup with UCLA, which left his Trojans at 1-2 in the Pac-10 and having to fight their way out of the bottom half.
"We started 0-3 last year," the junior point guard said Wednesday. So there's time to come back. But this year's Pac-10, better than expected, won't make that easy.
Nkele's career best paces UCR women
Senior Kemie Nkele scored a career-high 32 points as the UC Riverside women's basketball team won its fourth straight Big West game, defeating host Cal State Northridge, 72-62, Wednesday night.
Nkele had been averaging just 9.3 points in conference games. But she made 10 of 19 shots, including four three-pointers, and had 12 rebounds.
Melvin Goins scored 24 points on Wednesday as the Mt. San Jacinto College men's basketball team improved to 4-0 in the Foothill Conference with a 97-77 victory over Barstow.
Shenon Johannes added 19 points and Terrence Williams had 13 points and 16 rebounds for the Eagles (15-7, 4-0 in conference).
Galando Abdelrahman led Barstow (0-17, 0-4) with 21 points.
The California Baptist men's basketball team had four players score in double figures on Tuesday en route to an 83-66 Golden State Athletic Conference victory over host Hope International.
Dave Cernin led the Lancers with 19 points and guard Omar Krayem, coming off a career-high 30-point performance on Saturday, added 18 for the Lancers (12-3, 3-3 GSAC).
All-American Mark Roussin had 17 points.
Taylor Mays, a two-time All-American first team safety at USC, said that he will return for his 2009 senior season rather than go to the NFL, the school announced in a release.
"There are a lot more things I want to accomplish as a player, a student and a person, things that I've dreamed about for a long time and that are big goals to me," Mays said.
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