CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Jordan Pope hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Oregon State an 83-80 victory over No. 9 Arizona on Thursday night, with the Beavers’ fans storming the court to celebrate the upset.
Pope scored a career-high 31 points and made four second-half 3-pointers, the last a 22-footer from the left wing over KJ Lewis as time time expired. Pope called it the biggest shot of his career.
“I saw daylight and I took the shot,” Pope said. “It feels great. I’ve put in a lot of work my whole life.”
He was 9 of 15 from the field, hitting 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
Pelle Larson made two free throws for Arizona (14-5, 5-3 Pac-12) to tie it at 80 with 11.2 seconds left. Oregon State (10-9, 2-6) elected not to call a timeout, trusting Pope to deliver on the final shot.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Oregon State’s final possession was well defended and Pope “hit an incredible shot.”
“I wish the game would have got to overtime and we could have seen if we could get over the top,” Lloyd said. “But we don’t get that opportunity.”
The Beavers snapped a five-game losing streak, and a seven-game skid against Arizona. The Wildcats fell to 1-3 in conference road games and dropped into a tie for second place in the conference with Arizona State, a game behind Oregon.
Tyler Bilodeau added 22 points for Oregon State.
“Coming back home to Gill (Coliseum) it was all about bringing the fight to them, Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. “They’re a very talented team, obviously.”
Caleb Love led Arizona with 23 points. Keshad Johnson had 18 and Larsson 17.
Oregon State held a major advantage on 3-point shooting, converting 12 of 20 to just 3 of 14 for the Wildcats.
Bilodeau’s 3-pointer capped an 11-0 run that gave Oregon State its biggest lead, at 77-68 with 2:27 remaining. Love responded with a four-point play to keep Arizona within range.
The Beavers, who trailed by 12 points in the first half, overcame a 44-36 halftime deficit with clutch shooting.
Arizona made eight of its first 11 shots and led 21-9 less than seven minutes into the game. But the Wildcats were unable to extend their lead.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: The Wildcats continue to struggle in Pac-12 road games, dropping to 1-3. Arizona has a huge test Saturday at first-place Oregon. Arizona is the only Pac-12 team ranked in The Associated Press Top 25.
Oregon State: Since beating Southern California at home Dec. 30, the Beavers had struggled, especially on the road. But the win over Arizona should be a major confidence boost.
UP NEXT
Arizona: At Oregon on Sunday.
Oregon State: Host Arizona State on Sunday.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
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