LAS VEGAS - UCLA coach Cori Close opened the postgame press conference, after the No. 5-seeded Bruins finished a 73-59 win over fourth-seeded Arizona, with this team credo: “Sometimes you, sometimes me, always us.”

It was that mentality that carried UCLA on Thursday to the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament for the 15th time in program history as it dominated the boards and got key performances from Emily Bessoir and Camryn Brown. Bessoir finished with her first career double-double — 18 points, 13 rebounds — while Brown ended with nine points, six rebounds and four assists.

Bessoir, who tore her ACL in October of 2021 and missed last season, has put together two of her best games in this tournament. Last year, she was sitting on the bench, watching.

“I think throughout the whole year, like, I'm still trying to find myself,” Bessoir said. “I'm still trying to find my game. The team has been such a huge support and I think now I'm really glad that things are coming together.”

Brown said, for her part, she just wants to put her team in the best position to win.

“I think it's fun to be out there moving the pieces,” Brown said. “I think that's where I thrive the most, being able to put some puzzle pieces together and solve problems. I enjoy it, but my teammates really help me shine. What they do good, I look good, apparently, so I just really appreciate them.”

Senior Charisma Osborne also finished with 18 points.

The Bruins broke a 25-25 tie with a Gabriela Jaquez layup at 5:39 of the second quarter and never gave up the lead again.

Arizona (21-9), which heads into the NCAA Tournament with three straight losses, got 10 points each from Shaina Pellington, Jade Loville and Lauren Fields, but their struggles to keep the Bruins off the boards cost them a shot at the semifinals.

“That was our key to the game, the first, the second and the third key to the game was box out and we couldn’t do that,” said Arizona coach Adia Barnes. “That was the biggest difference in the game.”

No. 1 Stanford 76, No. 9 Oregon 65

Despite a career-high scoring performance from junior guard Te-Hina Paopao and an inspired comeback late in the game, the Ducks couldn’t muster enough to topple the No. 1 seed, Stanford winning 76-65 to advance to the semifinals for the 21st time in 22 seasons.

Cameron Brink finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, the Cardinal dominating points in the paint by a 30-14 margin.

“Cam is extremely motivated. She plays really hard. She's incredibly talented,” said Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer. “She just came out and said, ‘I’ve got to get going’. And she did. She put her team on her back.”

While Stanford led nearly start to finish, they built a 16-point lead in the second quarter and saw Oregon cut that to six points in the fourth quarter before the Cardinal was able to take control.

Stanford (28-4) finished the game with 56 rebounds while three players, Brink, Haley Jones and Fran Belibi finishing with double-digit rebounding totals.

“We kind of pride ourselves on being a defensive team and a rebounding team. So I think for all of us it was about boxing out, getting the boards, getting those extra possessions, and making sure they didn't get any extra possessions,” Belibi said. “We kind of bought into that mindset as a collective. We did have a couple slip-ups, but for the most part we had everyone boxing out, going to the boards, trying to just crash hard. I think it was just really about our mentality and it showed.”

The Ducks have to hope that their strong NET ranking (18) is enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament.

Head coach Kelly Graves made his case.

“I hope we're a team that's included in that field. I think with a NET rating of 18 going into this tournament and playing Stanford relatively close isn't going to change that,” Graves said. “Plus with a win hopefully we've done enough. I've never been one of those guys that watches and prays and, you know, if we make it, we make it. I think we're good enough. This is by far the toughest conference in the country.”

Semifinal No. 1: No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 5 UCLA

Season Series: Stanford leads 2-0; 72-59 at UCLA on Jan. 13; 71-66 at Maples Pavilion on Feb. 20.

Tournament History: Stanford, 54-6 in Conference tournament play, is trying to win its 16th Pac-12 Tournament title in 22 years, advancing to the semifinals for the 7th year in a row. UCLA, which has a 26-20 tournament record, is seeking its second tournament title, the first coming back in 2006. Stanford has an 11-1 record against UCLA in the tournament.

The Hot Hands: Coming off a 24-point game against Utah in the regular-season finale, Stanford's Hannah Jump finished up with 13 points against Oregon in Thursday’s quarterfinal. She’s hit 12 3-pointers in her last three games. The Cardinal offense needs it. For UCLA, it’s Emily Bessoir, who scored 17 points with nine rebounds in the first round against Arizona State and followed up with an 18-point, 13-rebound game against Arizona on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

The X-Factors: For Stanford, it’s Fran Belibi. Belibi’s contributions off the bench can’t be underestimated. A senior with experience and grit, Belibi’s minutes have been down this season, but when she comes in, she gives them exactly what they need — rebounding and defense inside. For UCLA, it's freshman Londynn Jones. Jones’ ability to change the momentum of a game from beyond the arc makes her a difference maker.

The Bruins reach the championship game if: They can keep the Cardinal off the boards. UCLA, which led the Pac-12 this season with 15 offensive rebounds a game, had a plus-19 rebounding margin against Arizona. Stanford outrebounded Oregon 56-39 and got 21 points on second-chance points against Oregon. The team that has the ability to rebound wins this game.

The Cardinal reaches the championship game if: Cameron Brink stays out of foul trouble and Stanford can get the ball inside as often as possible. If Brink can score inside, if Belibi and Lauren Betts can score inside, if Jones can get her work done in the lane, Stanford plays for its 16th tournament title.