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LAS VEGAS — Jordan Loveridge knocked down a 3-point shot in overtime of the Runnin' Utes' quarterfinal match-up against the Cal Bears, putting Utah on top by five points with 3:51 remaining.
The Utes went on to outscore Cal by the margin of 20-10 in the extra period — eight of those points coming from Loveridge.
The freshman forward finished the contest with 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Utah (15-17, 7-13), which has won four games in a row for the first time since the end of its 2008-09 season.
"Jordan's one of the guys that's made tremendous progress as the season has gone on," said Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak. "He's been a catalyst for us."
Loveridge missed a crucial free throw with 18 seconds remaining in regulation that would have tied the game at 57.
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After Allen Crabbe sank two free throws to put the Bears up 59-56, senior guard Jarred DuBois rattled down a 3-pointer with just nine seconds left, tying it up and sending the game into overtime.
Loveridge then showed the signs of a young star coming of age, as he shook off that missed free throw and dominated the extra session, leading the No. 10 seed Utah past the No. 2 seed Cal.
"Once I saw J.D. hit that shot, I felt like I had to back him up," Loveridge said. "I felt like we just needed to turn it on right there. Why not go out and get it? I felt like as a team, we huddled up and decided we're here already, we might as well go get it."
"It was a coach's dream when the all-conference awards came out," Krystkowiak said. "For a young man to be fourth in scoring and second in rebounding as a freshman — I realize we didn't win a lot of games — but I really thought he was deserving of (an All-conference freshman honorable mention). He plays really well with a chip on his shoulder, and I think that's kind of what we're seeing right now is trying to prove some people wrong."
DuBois recorded 21 points and five rebounds, senior center Jason Washburn posted 18 points and five boards, with freshman guard Brandon Taylor scoring 10.
Cal (20-11, 12-7) was led by junior guard Justin Cobbs' 26 points, five assists and four rebounds, with 21 points and six boards coming from Crabbe, the 2012-13 Pac-12 player of the year.
"It was a fantastic college basketball game," Krystkowiak said. "Kids kept with it, the rim opened up for us, and we made plays when we needed to. I thought our defense in the second part of the second half was as good as we've played all year, on a really good Cal team."
Utah led for most of the first half before falling behind by one at the break, 33-32.
Cal got off to an 11-4 start in the second period to take a 44-36 lead, and it looked like the Bears were about to run away with it.
But Taylor capitalized on a fast break layup for a basket-and-1 to ignite a 14-4 Utah rally — capped by back-to-back Loveridge 3-pointers — and put Utah back in charge, 60-58 with under seven minutes on the clock.
The game remained close over the final minutes, until Utah ran away with it in overtime to clinch a berth in the Pac-12 semi-finals against Oregon (24-8, 13-6) Friday night.
Led by senior forwards E.J. Singler and Carlos Emory, the Ducks also went into overtime in their quarterfinal win over Washington in Thursday's nightcap game.
Utah beat Oregon last Saturday, taking a 72-62 decision at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in its regular season finale. Washburn led the Utes in that one with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Singler scored 21 to lead the Ducks.
The two programs also met on Feb. 9 in Eugene, where Oregon won 73-64.
Krystkowiak will have his young squad ready for round three.
"I trust that these guys aren't going to get satisfied," he said. "They're going to continue to improve. There were some moments in the game that I looked out there and we had four freshmen on the court. So the kids are continuing to get better as this year's gone along."
The Utes and Ducks will tip off at 9:30 p.m. MDT on ESPN. The contest will also air on the radio at AM 700. The winner will move on to the Pac-12 championship game on Saturday, to face whoever wins between Arizona and UCLA.
"We're just looking at it one game at a time," Loveridge said. "We can't look ahead or get ahead of ourselves. We're just trying to play every game as hard as we can and try to see how far we can make it."
Tyson Maddy has covered the University of Utah football and men's basketball teams as a contributing writer for KSL.com Sports since 2011. Follow his Utes coverage on twitter @Tyson_Maddy
