San Diego State defeats Utah, 64-50, in Mountain West quarterfinals

Kawhi Leonard and Malcolm Thomas each had a double-double as No. 7 San Diego State defeated Utah, 64-50, in the Mountain West Conference tournament quarterfinals Thursday at Las Vegas, giving the Aztecs the first 30-win season in their 90-year history.

Leonard had 13 points and 12 rebounds for his 19th double-double before sitting out the final seven minutes as a precaution because of a tight back. Thomas had 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists for the Aztecs.

San Diego State (30-2) got off to a slow start against the seventh-seeded Utes (13-18), but it closed the first half on a 16-3 run and led, 30-15, at halftime.

No. 8 Brigham Young 64, Texas Christian 58: Jimmer Fredette had 24 points and the Cougars overcame a slow start against the Horned Frogs (11-22) in the Mountain West quarterfinals. With suspended forward Brandon Davies on the bench in street clothes, top-seeded BYU (29-3) had a tougher time than expected against a TCU team that went 1-15 in conference play before snapping a 13-game skid with a win over Wyoming in the play-in game.

No. 21 Connecticut 76, No. 3 Pittsburgh 74: Kemba Walker used a crossover dribble and shoulder roll to shake off a defender, then stepped back and swished the winning basket at the buzzer as the Huskies (24-9) beat the Panthers (27-5) in the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference tournament at New York.

No. 11 Syracuse 79, No. 17 St. John's 73: Freshman center Fab Melo scored 12 points, including two layups in the final two minutes, and the Orange (26-6) defeated the Red Storm (21-11) in the Big East quarterfinals. Brandon Triche had a season-high 22 points for Syracuse.

No. 2 Kansas 63, Oklahoma State 62: Mario Little's three-point play broke a tie with 71 seconds to go and the Cowboys missed a desperation shot at the buzzer, allowing the Jayhawks (30-2) to escape with a victory over the Cowboys (19-13) in the Big 12 Conference tournament quarterfinals at Kansas City, Mo.
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The three officials cited for two errors in the final seconds of the St. John's-Rutgers game Wednesday withdrew from the rest of the Big East tournament. Veteran referees Jim Burr, Tim Higgins and Earl Walton missed two calls — a travel and stepping out of bounds — in the final 1.7 seconds of St. John's 65-63 second-round victory. Conference officials acknowledged after the game that the officials blew the calls. On Thursday, Commissioner John Marinatto said the three officials have "voluntarily withdrawn" in "the best interests of those involved."

Tsunami Reaches California After Soaking Hawaii

A tsunami wave reached the West Coast of the U.S. this morning with threats of waves as tall as nine feet that could strike from California to Alaska. Residents along the northern California and Oregon coasts reported seeing the tell-tale sign of an impending tsunami -- the waterline quickly withdrawing from the beach prior to large incoming waves.
The tsunami, which has claimed hundreds of lives in Japan, triggered warning sirens across the Pacific and led to evacuations as far away as Hawaii and Oregon.
By the time the tsunami reached California around 7:45 a.m. PST, it had soaked Hawaii's beaches but done little lasting damage there.
Officials were cautiously optimistic that the West Coast would fare similarly, but warned of waves as high as 9 feet, and banned boaters and surfers in California from entering the water.
Warning sirens began blaring in some Oregon coastal communities in the small hours of the morning, and residents were urged to seek higher ground.
Orgeon officials said highways were congested with residents evacuating low lying ares near Florence.
Sam McAlmond, a resident of Gold Beach, Ore., chose not to evacuate, but is prepared to leave his home if it becomes necesary.
"This doesn't happen too often. We liked to see it if and when anything happens," he said of the tsunami. "We have all of our necessary equipment -- fresh water and food. Filled up the tank with gas and there is an escape route."
McAlmond said he had not seen any significant waves from his beach front home.
In California, the city of San Francisco activated it's emergency operations response team and closed its coastal highway. All coastal access to San Francisco area beaches have been closed.
The 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit Japan Friday afternoon local time, triggering a tsunami that is speeding across the Pacific Ocean at speeds of 500 mph, as fast as a jet airplane.