Hot-shooting Southern Cal knocks off Washington St.
By John Nadel
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — Gabe Pruitt figured he was in for a big night before the game began. He proved to be quite a prophet.
Pruitt scored 26 points, and Southern California used accurate long-range shooting and success at the foul line to beat No. 11 Washington State, 70-61, last night in the semifinals of the Pac-10 tournament.
"During warmups, I was feeling it. I knew if I got open looks I would knock them down," the junior guard said.
Pruitt shot 6 of 7 from 3-point range, 7 of 9 overall, and 6 of 7 from the foul line.
The third-seeded Trojans (23-10) will face fourth-seeded Oregon in today's championship game at Staples Center.
The 16th-ranked Ducks beat eighth-seeded California 81-63 earlier last night.
Derrick Low, an 'Iolani alum, led second-seeded Washington State (25-7) with 15 points.
Low scored all of his points on 3-pointers, going 5 of 14 from beyond the arc. He also missed another pair of shots.
"They played really good defensively," he said. "I kept moving. I didn't get too many open looks and when I did, I was slightly off rhythm."