Basketball potpourri: Collison’s three-pointer changes the game

Thursday night’s first half against Arizona State was a tight, low-scoring game until the Bruins got it going near the end. Up only 23-18, Sun Devil star freshman James Harden missed a dunk and UCLA’s Josh Shipp sank a three-pointer to extend the lead to 26-18, where it appeared the half would end.

But a Shipp outlet to Darren Collison found the Bruin junior guard all alone on the left wing and he converted a long three-pointer just before the half to give UCLA an insurmountable 11-point lead at halftime. Here's how Chris Roberts called the play on the Bruin radio network:

Also of note:

>> San Diego El Camino High’s Nelson Rosario — who will attend UCLA in the fall as a football wide receiver — had 19 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots Thursday night to help his team to a 65-58 overtime win over Helix in the San Diego Section Division I quarterfinals. "For a guy whose third-best sport is basketball, he’s very dang good," El Camino Coach Ray Johnson said in the San Diego Union-Tribune. Rosario’s second-best sport is track, and he’ll likely be a scorer in three events in the California State track and field championships in June.

>> Saturday’s Washington State at Stanford game will be televised live in Southern California on FSN West beginning at 1 p.m. The Cardinal (12-3 in Pac-10) defeated WSU (10-6) in Pullman, 67-65, in overtime last month.

Audio courtesy of Chris Roberts and KLAC-AM (570)