Pac-10 Tournament: Ducks Fly, Huskies Howl and More in Quarterfinal Games

Oregon Ducks basketball took another big step Thursday towards being relevant again.

Washington played its cross-state rival the WSU Cougars in a contest that went down to the wire.

USC needed a win to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive.

Arizona wanted to prevent any first-game embarrassments.

Here is a quick recap of what happened in all four Pac-10 quarterfinal games from yesterday.

Oregon 75, UCLA 59

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 10: Garrett Sim #3 and E.J. Singler #25 of the Oregon Ducks celebrate late in the first quarter while taking on the UCLA Bruins in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Pacific Life Pac-10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Staples Center on

Unless you are a UCLA Bruins fan, you have to be happy for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks.

From the first preseason prediction through most of the 2010-11 season, the Ducks have been slighted.

Thursday, in what was essentially a home game for UCLA, E.J. Singler notched a career-high 24 points as Oregon bashed the Bruins 76-59.

Malcolm Armstead scored 13 points, and Garrett Sim added 10 more for Altman's biggest win since taking the job in Eugene.

UCLA had beaten the Ducks in both of their regular season matchups.

The Bruins out-rebounded Oregon 34-29 and only committed 11 turnovers.

They were, however, icy cold from the field, shooting 35.2 percent from the floor and 30.8 from beyond the arc.

Tyler Honeycutt (19 points) was the only UCLA player who scored in double figures. 

The Ducks will look to take out Washington on Friday in their semifinal contest.

The teams split their two meetings during the regular season. 

Washington 89, Washington State 87

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 10: Isaiah Thomas #2 of the Washington Huskies reacts in the second half while taking on the Washington State Cougars in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Pacific Life Pac-10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Staples Center on March 10,

Husky happiness returned on Thursday, as Washington used a 57-point second half to come from behind to beat Washington State 89-87.

Washington point guard Isaiah Thomas led the way with a 21-point, 11-assist double-double.

The rest of the Huskies starters also scored in double figures:

• Terrence Ross: 17 points
• C.J. Wilcox: 16 points
• Matthew Bryan-Amaning: 16 points
• Justin Holiday: 12 points

Washington overcame an eight-point halftime deficit.

Klay Thompson, the conference's leading scorer, put up a Pac-10 tournament-record 43 points in the losing cause.

Thompson hit eight three-pointers but missed a free throw and a three-point attempt in the last minute of play.

Washington will meet Oregon on Friday in a semifinal matchup.

USC 70, Cal 56

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 10: Maurice Jones #10 of the USC Trojans lays the ball up in the second half against the California Golden Bears in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Pacific Life Pac-10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Staples Center on March 10, 2011

USC needed a win, and it went out and got one Thursday, beating Cal 70-56 in the first of four quarterfinal games.

Freshman mighty mite Maurice Jones paced the Trojans, scoring 16 points and handing out four assists.

Alex Stepheson controlled things under the boards, adding 14 points and pulling down 16 rebounds.

USC established an eight-point halftime lead and never looked back.

Pac-10 Freshman of the Year Allen Crabbe scored 21 points for the Bears, who, with this loss, all but eliminated themselves from NCAA tournament consideration.

USC will face Arizona on Friday. The two teams split their contests this season.

Arizona 78, Oregon State 69

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 10: Derrick Williams #23 of the Arizona Wildcats shoots a three-pointer against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half in the quarterfinals of the 2011 Pacific Life Pac-10 Men's Basketball Tournament at Staples Center on Marc

Arizona had not won a Pac-10 tournament game since beating Oregon State in the first round of the 2008 tournament.

Thursday, the Wildcats beat the Beavers again, 78-69.

Pac-10 Player of the Year Derrick Williams hit five of six three-pointers on his way to scoring a team-high 22 points.

The Wildcats, as a team, shot 11-of-21 from beyond the arc.

Kevin Parrom and MoMo Jones both added 13 points for the winning team.

Oregon State's sophomore guard Jared Cunningham's 23 points were not enough to help the Beavers pull off what would have been an upset.

Arizona squares off against USC in a semifinal matchup on Friday.