CAL LOSES, MISSES PAC-10 TITLE  3/12/94

By MARK JEWELL
Associated Press

PULLMAN, Wash. -- Eddie Hill's career regular-season finale couldn't 
have gone any better for Washington State.

The senior scored a season-high 27 points and broke the school's career
record for 3-pointers as the Cougars beat No. 16 California 94-82 
Saturday.

The victory boosted the Cougars' hopes for their first NCAA tournament 
bid in 11 years.

''Sometimes when your back is against the wall, you find out what you're 
made of as people and you find out where your program is,'' Washington 
State coach Kelvin Sampson said. ''My hat is off to these kids. Doing 
what we did this year with four freshmen, a sophomore and those seniors, 
I can't give enough credit to them. It's been an unbelievable season.''

Washington State (20-11, 10-8 Pac-10), playing before a crowd of 11,019, 
used a 21-11 run early in the second half to pick up its fourth victory 
in five games.

California (22-7, 13-5) lost its hopes for a Pac-10 title but still 
expects an NCAA berth when the announcements are made Sunday night. Cal 
would have won the conference championship in a complicated tiebreaker 
with Arizona, which did win the conference title, and UCLA because both 
the Wildcats and the Bruins lost.

The Golden Bears lost despite Lamond Murray's career-high 38 points and 
Jason Kidd's 23, which included seven 3-pointers.

California led 41-40 at halftime.

''I said at the beginning of the year that I thought Washington State 
was one of the top teams in our league,'' California coach Todd Bozeman 
said. ''I disagree with all the statements that if they beat us it would 
be a tremendous upset. That's ridiculous. I want to congratulate 
Washington State, they did a great job. Their kids really wanted it 
today. For Eddie Hill, it was a great way to go out.''

The Cougars last made the NCAA tournament in 1983 under coach George
Raveling, now at Southern Cal. Sampson had hoped for an NCAA bid two 
seasons when the Cougars finished 22-11 but got an NIT bid instead.

Hill's 27-point total included seven 3-pointers. Washington State scored 
12 3-pointers.

Hill's 3-pointers gave him the school career record with 233. Bennie 
Seltzer, who graduated last year, held the previous record of 230.

California threatened when Murray scored on a layup and Kidd immediately 
made a 3-pointer off a backcourt steal, bringing the score to 85-79 with 
53 seconds remaining.

Washington State held on in the final minute when Cal was forced to 
foul. 

Fred Ferguson scored 18 for Washington State and Tony Harris added 17.
Murray scored 38 points for California, 25 in the first half, and broke 
Kevin Johnson's career school scoring record. Murray has 1,670 points, 
while Johnson ended his collegiate career in 1987 with 1,655.