EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - After looking at the halftime statistics, coach Eddie Sutton knew Pittburgh's tenacious defense was only causing half the problem for Oklahoma State.

Besides bumping and banging, the Panthers were also doing a number on the Cowboys on the offensive boards.

Unless it stopped, Oklahoma State's season was going to end a game shy of the regional final.

It didn't.

Tony Allen scored 23 points and the second-seeded Cowboys (30-3) limited Pittsburgh to four offensive rebounds in the second half in posting a 63-51 victory in the opener of the East Rutherford Regional semifinal.

The champions of the Big 12 will now face Saint Joseph's (30-1) Saturday for the right to go to San Antonio for the Final Four.

The 68-year-old Sutton said winning the rebounding battle not only slowed Pittsburgh, but it got the Cowboys' offense in gear.

"I think in order for Pittsburgh to win, and we told our team this, they have to get second shots," Sutton said of the Panthers of the Big East. "I don't think they are a great shooting basketball team. So in order for them to win, they have to get second opportunities."

When they weren't there, it turned the game in the Cowboys' favor, especially in the final seven-plus minutes when Oklahoma State used a 17-5 spurt to turn a 42-all game into a blowout.

The regional final will be the sixth of Sutton's 34-year head coaching career. He has made two Final Fours, but has never won the big prize.

After being held to 30 percent shooting from the field in the first half, Oklahoma State hit 16-of-25 shots in the final 20 minutes against the nation's second-toughest defense. Pittsburgh allowed 56.2 points per game this season.

"In the first half, we were playing to their level, which was slowing the game down," Oklahoma State forward Ivan McFarlin said. "It made it hard to play defense on the half-court end. They gave us their runs and we closed it out with great defense."

Tony Allen led the Cowboys with 23 points in a game that was a lot closer than the final score indicated.

Carl Krauser had 15 points and Jaron Brown 11 for the Panthers, who lost in the regional semifinal for the third straight year. Pittsburgh senior guard Julius Page had five points on 2-for-11 shooting, ending an up-and-down season with another bad performance.

"It's crazy," said Krauser, who had only four points in the second half. "For me, it's two times in a row and for some of us, it's three times. It's like a big cloud over our heads. I really felt that this was the team to make it to the national championship, but we just made things easier for them in the second half."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The Hawks showed they were a worthy No. 1 seed as Jameer Nelson and Delonte West each scored 24 points Thursday night, keying the victory over the Demon Deacons.

PHOENIX - Connecticut hit from outside, pounded the ball inside and just plain dominated Vanderbilt most of the night.Ben Gordon had 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists and UConn (30-6) beat the cold-shooting Commodores in the semifinals of the Phoenix Regional.

PHOENIX - Alabama, a No. 8 seed, beat the defending national champions in the Phoenix Regional semifinals, five days after stunning Stanford.Kennedy Winston and Earnest Shelton put Alabama (20-12) ahead from the outside in the first half, then Chuck Davis got rough inside in the second and the Crimson Tide is in an NCAA regional final for the first time in the school's history.