LAS VEGAS- Stanford’s deep Pac-12 Tournament run came to an end on Friday night, falling 84-59 to UCLA in the semifinal round.
Making its first appearance in the tournament semifinals since 2010, Stanford (21-12, 10-8 Pac-12) trailed throughout the entire contest. The Cardinal was playing its third game in as many days after defeating Washington State 74-63 in the first round and Arizona State 79-58 in the quarterfinals.
Dwight Powell finished with a team-high 16 points, connecting on 5-9 shooting while making 6-8 from the foul line. Chasson Randle added 11 points for the Cardinal, which shot 40.0 percent overall but was just 6-21 from beyond the arc.
UCLA (25-8, 12-6 Pac-12) connected at 65.2 percent, converted 21-30 from the foul line and owned a 34-22 rebounding advantage. The Bruins’ shooting percentage was the highest total by an opponent since Arizona shot 70.0 percent in a 101-87 victory on March 7, 2009.
Both teams won their home game during the regular season series, with UCLA prevailing 91-74 at Pauley Pavilion on Jan. 23 before Stanford notched an 83-74 triumph at Maples Pavilion one month later.
Norman Powell’s 22 points led three players in double figures, as UCLA built a 44-29 halftime lead.
A layup from Randle on the first possession of the second half cut the deficit to 44-31, but that’s as close as the Cardinal would get.
UCLA scored seven straight points to put the game out of reach and held its largest lead at 62-34 following a layup from David Wear midway through the second half.
Stanford is expected to receive an NCAA Tournament at-large bid when selections are announced on Sunday. The Cardinal last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2008.