NW Sports from the AP

AP-NW–1st SportsMinute,261
Here is the latest Washington, Oregon and Alaska sports news from
The Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) – Devoe Joseph scored 21 points and Oregon
made 15 3-pointers in a 94-48 rout of Utah Saturday to end the
regular season. Carlos Emory also scored 19 and Garrett Sim added
13 points for the Ducks, who locked up third place in the
conference and secured a bye in the first round of next week’s
Pac-12 tournament.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Brock Motum scored 16 of his 27 points in the
second half and Washington State withstood a late rally to beat
Southern California 43-38. Motum hit 12 of 21 shots as the Cougars
held a 30-10 scoring advantage in the paint and 36-25 rebounding
edge in picking up just their second conference road win.

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) – Ahmad Starks had all 18 of his points
during an electrifying second half performance to lead Oregon State
to an 83-69 win over Colorado Saturday, helping the Beavers clinch
only their second winning season in 22 years. Roberto Nelson added
16 points and Jared Cunningham had 15 for the Beavers.

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Lazeric Jones scored 20 points, twice hitting
go-ahead baskets in the final 8:39, as UCLA defeated Washington
75-69 on Saturday to prevent the Huskies from clinching the Pac-12
regular-season title outright.

SEATTLE (AP) – Marshawn Lynch is staying put in Seattle. The
Seahawks’ bulldozing, Skittles-loving running back has agreed to a
multiyear deal to keep him in a Seattle uniform coming off the
finest season of his NFL career. Seattle announced the deal
yesterday and was able to avoid having to use the franchise tag on
its star running back. General manager John Schneider says getting
Lynch locked up long-term was what the Seahawks hoped would happen
when they acquired him from Buffalo.

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) – Jason Vargas threw four scoreless innings
and third baseman Kyle Seager had three hits in the Seattle
Mariners’ 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres yesterday. Vargas threw
50 pitches and did not allow a base runner. The Padres, playing
their spring training opener, committed three errors, two in the
fifth inning that led to a pair of Mariners’ runs.

WILLOW, Alaska (AP) – The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has
officially started. Mushers have begun leaving the starting chute
in Willow, Alaska. The race will take them nearly a thousand miles
across Alaska, to the finish line in Nome. There are 66 mushers
competing in this year’s race.

MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) – Jackson County officials are considering
legal action after the operator of a White City drag strip
defaulted on his lease. They say the owner of the Hot Rod Gassers
Association pulled all of his equipment out of Champion Raceway
just a few months before the start of the racing season. Jim Taylor
says the county wouldn’t do any maintenance on the facility.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

AP-NY-03-05-12 0531EST