This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Las Vegas • Utah's Cinderella story continues.
A 79-69 win over California in overtime on Thursday night sends the Utes to a Pac-12 semifinal on Friday night. It registers as the biggest upset of the conference tournament, as MGM Grand Garden Arena aligned itself solidly with Utah.
It was the first win in three tries for Utah against the Bears this season.
Jared DuBois sent the game into an extra session with a tough step-back 3-pointer with four seconds remaining in regulation. Freshman Jordan Loveridge took over when it counted, hitting a 3 to make it 64-59 and then driving to the basket and making two free throws. He made two of three from the line in regulation to put Utah in position for the tie.
Loveridge scored 20 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out five assists. Eighteen of those points came after halftime. DuBois scored a team-high 21 points and grabbed five rebounds. Utah is now, unbelievably, two wins away from the NCAA Tournament automatic berth.
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