LAS VEGAS -- Cal forward Ivan Rabb is a potential NBA lottery pick who has had plenty of big games as a freshman.

His final 2 minutes, 37 seconds against Oregon State on Thursday night was pretty special, too.

Rabb dominated late in a tight game, producing five points, five rebounds and two blocked shots in that final stretch, as No. 24 Cal finally subdued Oregon State, winning 76-68 in a Pac-12 tournament quarterfinal.

"I just thought he did a great job keeping balls alive," Cal coach Cuonzo Martin said. "I don't know if it was necessarily his best game. The numbers say that. I have seen him play really good games, but he might not have the numbers he had (tonight)."

Rabb finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds. With 269 boards, he is tied with Ryan Anderson for the school's freshman record. Rabb had critical follow buckets with 2:31 and 1:22 left.

Guard Jabari Bird pitched in 20 points, and his 5-of-7 effort from behind the arc also was key as the third-seeded Bears (23-9) advanced to play second-seeded Utah on Friday.

Cal has won eight of its past nine games. It split with Utah in the regular season, each winning at home.

"They have one of the best bigs in college basketball," Martin said, referring to Jakob Poeltl, the Pac-12 Player of the Year. "He can score, he can pass it, rebounds the basketball, makes great decision with the ball."

Even in defeat, Oregon State made a case for its first NCAA Tournament berth in 26 years. The Beavers entered the game as a No. 8 to No. 11 seed in most projections.

"We have to stay in the moment and keep continuing to prepare because we have some hoops in front of us," Beavers coach Wayne Tinkle said.

Oregon State (19-12) looked out of it early, but freshman guard Derrick Bruce and senior guard Gary Payton II each had spectacular efforts to fuel the Beavers.

Bruce scored a career-high 25 points -- 14 better than his previous best -- and Payton poured in 20 points and grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds against a likely NBA lottery frontcourt of Rabb and Jaylen Brown. Bruce made four of six 3-point shots.

"Oregon State is a tough team; they're always scrappy," Bird said. "You can't get comfortable with them."

Bruce's 3-pointer from the right corner tied the game at 49 with 9:21 to go. Bird untied the game with a 3-pointer, and it was back and forth from there.

Payton's trey gave Oregon State its first lead at 55-54 with 6:53 to play before Bird responded again with a shot from behind the arc.

When the Beavers pushed the lead to 60-57, Bird let a shot fly to tie the game.

Cal took the lead for good on three free throws by Brown for a 63-62 edge with 4:29 left.

Bears guard Jordan Mathews, who added a 3-pointer for an eight-point lead in the final minute, finished with 17 points.

Cal stomped on the gas pedal at the start, leading 16-5 at the first media timeout. The Bears pushed the pace against the Beavers and were rewarded with two reverse layups in transition from Mathews.

Oregon State, minus starting forward and second-leading scorer Tres Tinkle because of a foot injury, was more successful turning it into a half-court game after that, often using a 2-3 zone to neutralize Cal's superior athleticism.

"We weren't getting much from our bigs, so we went small and competed," Wayne Tinkle said.

Meanwhile, Bruce was having the half of his life. He entered the game averaging 3.2 points but had a career-high 15 at the break, including 6-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line.

Guard Stephen Thompson Jr. (12 points) put in a missed shot at the halftime buzzer to bring the Beavers within 34-30.

NOTES: Oregon State G Stephen Thompson Jr. was in the starting lineup again, replacing injured F Tres Tinkle, who has missed four consecutive games with a foot injury. It is uncertain whether Tinkle will return later in the postseason. ... Cal freshman F Jaylen Brown entered the game fourth in school history in freshman scoring with 474 points. He scored eight points to move into third, past Brian Hendrick, who scored 478 in the 1989-90 season. ... Oregon State G Gary Payton II, the two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, had four steals against Arizona State on Wednesday, the eighth time this season he has had at least four thefts. He added two steals Thursday. ... Payton's dad, Oregon State and NBA legend Gary Payton, attended the game.