March 13, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Colorado Buffaloes guard Spencer Dinwiddie (25) shoots against Oregon State Beavers guard Challe Barton (4) during the second half in the first round of the Pac 12 tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Colorado defeated Oregon State 74-68. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Spencer Dinwiddie scored 20 points and Colorado picked up a much-needed win at the Pac-12 tournament, holding off Oregon State 74-68 in the first round on Wednesday.
Colorado (21-10) needed a couple of wins in Las Vegas to boost its NCAA chances and got off to a good start by dominating Oregon State defensively most of the second half.
Xavier Johnson had 16 points and Andre Roberson 12 for the fifth-seeded Buffaloes, who moved on to face No. 4 seed Arizona in Thursday's quarterfinals.
Oregon State (14-18), the No. 12 seed, pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Pac-12 tournament history by knocking off top-seeded Washington last year and dimmed Colorado's NCAA hopes with a win in Boulder last weekend.
The Beavers fell short of repeating either performance by struggling against Colorado's defense, hitting 7 of 25 from 3-point range.
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