California Still in NCAA Hunt

California was on the verge of falling out of the NCAA tournament picture, but Thomas Kilgore didn’t let that happen.

Kilgore scored 12 consecutive points in a three-minute stretch and California, trailing by seven with 5:34 remaining, came back to beat Arizona State, 78-73, on Saturday at Oakland.

California, 16-10 overall and 7-9 overall, must win at Oregon and Oregon State next week to keep its NCAA tournament hopes alive.

“I hope the players realize it’s do or die now,� said Kilgore, who had 24 points.

Eddie House had 26 points for Arizona State, which had 26 turnovers in falling to 14-14 and 6-10.

Oregon 73, Oregon State 68--Alex Scales and Darius Wright combined for 19 of their 28 points in the final nine minutes to lead the Ducks (15-10, 7-9) past the Beavers (12-13, 6-10) at Eugene, Ore.