The Oregon State women’s basketball team went cold down the stretch but was able to hang on for a 74-72 overtime win Thursday night at Santa Clara.A.J. Marotte

The next three weeks could indicate a lot about whether the West Coast Conference will send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament this season. The league's bigg

The Pilots had two shots at a win, missed them both and Ejim was carried to the locker room. Well, that last part is not true, but maybe it should have been. The grad senior scored a career-high 35 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and was, once again, the hero as the Bulldogs won for the fifth consecutive time.

Oregon State sits at No. 59, behind Gonzaga (No. 10) and St. Mary's (No. 33), but ahead of Santa Clara (No. 66), Washington State (No. 75) and San Francisco (No. 77). The rest of the conference is outside the top 150.

Defending WCC champion Saint Mary’s, which is 2-0 in Quad 1 but 1-3 in Quad 2, has the second strongest resume in the conference. The Gaels are generally projected as a double-digit seed or among the first 4-8 teams on the outside looking in. Oregon State has the third highest NET (59) but is 0-4 in Quad 1.

Purdue basketball travels three time zones to Washington and then Oregon for its first visits to Boilermakers' new Big Ten counterparts.

Too many bad losses and not enough good wins have left the MW with only two teams on solid ground for at-large bids.

Washington State guard Tara Wallack scored 12 points Saturday in the Cougars' 69-61 home loss to Gonzaga. Washington State could have taken over sole possession of first place in the West Coast Conference with a win but instead are in a five-way tie atop the standings.

Wisconsin caught a scheduling break with Oregon visiting Madison. While the Badgers’ two West Coast road games are against struggling teams, getting the Ducks at home could be a factor that significantly tips the scales in Wisconsin’s favor. This could be a game Wisconsin will need to win down the stretch of the season.

In cross-country road trips in the Big Ten this season, the teams traveling two-plus time zones for a conference game have gone 8-9, including 4-5 last week.

In the first meeting of Gonzaga and Washington State since the Cougs joined the WCC, it was an intense game with a lot of respect between coaches and players.

Jan. 13—After opening with four West Coast Conference wins as heavy favorites, Gonzaga is in the midst of the résumé-enriching or résumé-ravaging portion of its conference schedule.