No. 5 Arizona uses massive run to rout Oregon State 84-52
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona got stuck in Oregon State’s preferred pace, forced to grind out half-court possessions. A litany of whistles further bogged down the game.
The Wildcats still managed to build a 14-point lead.
Once the whistles subsided and the floor opened up, Arizona blew past Oregon State for the type of rout typically seen in early-season nonconference games.
Azuolas Tubelis scored 19 points, Courtney Ramey added 11 and No. 5 Arizona used a massive first-half run to blow out Oregon State 84-52 on Saturday night.
“That was a woodshed job,” Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle. “We came out in the gate and executed our plan, then the floodgates opened.”
The game started like a trickle, successful foul calls accentuating Oregon State’s measured pace. The Wildcats (21-3, 10-3 Pac-12) slogged through it, then raced past the Beavers with a 19-2 run to go up 26 by halftime.
Arizona had 22 assists on 28 field goals, grabbed 17 more rebounds and outscored Oregon State by 16 in the paint to win its sixth straight.
“I didn’t think maybe our overall energy in all stretches was great tonight, but sometimes that happens,” Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said. “To do that and put together an effort like that, and be able to play a lot of guys is an encouraging sign.”
The Beavers (9-15, 3-10) brought one of the nation’s least-experienced teams into McKale Center and had the game at the pace they wanted — for a little while.
One of Division I’s more deliberate teams, Oregon State prevented the Wildcats from getting out in transition early, the game bogged down even more by 21 combined first-half fouls.
Once the Wildcats started rolling, the Beavers couldn’t catch them, losing their seventh straight to Arizona. Jordan Pope led Oregon State with 11 points.
“They’re a great team, obviously well coached, but I think our youth showed itself a little bit,” Tinkle said. ‘”We got knocked on our heels.”
The Beavers turned the first half into a grind, but Arizona was able to smooth it out just enough.
Relying on defense and half-court offense, the Wildcats steadily built a 14-point lead in small increments. Arizona seemed to spend as much time at the free throw line as running its offense and took advantage, hitting 15 of 21 in the first half.
The Wildcats finally found room to maneuver once the parade of whistles slowed, getting out in transition for layups and early-offense baskets.
Led by Tubelis. Arizona closed the first half on a 19-2 run, capped by Boswell’s deep 3 at the buzzer for a 47-21 lead.
“When I caught and put it up, I knew it was going in,” said Arizona guard Kylan Boswell, who had eight points. ”That was pretty crazy.”
TUBELIS REUNION
Tubelis had quite a weekend with friends and family from Lithuania in town.
On Thursday, he scored 40 points against Oregon, the most by an Arizona player in 28 years. Tubelis needed 8 1/2 minutes to make his first shot against Oregon State, but had 15 first-half points. He finished 6 of 10 from the floor and and grabbed eight rebounds in 23 minutes.
“He’s playing like a vet,” Lloyd said. “He understands where his opportunities are in the court and he’s doing a tremendous job. He’s having an All-American type season. I’ve coached those guys and he’s at that level.”
BIG PICTURE
Oregon State: The Beavers managed to get the pace they wanted in the early going. They couldn’t sustain it — Arizona had something to do with that — and remain winless at McKale Center since 2010.
Arizona: The Wildcats had to fight through a string of whistles and Oregon State’s deliberate style early and still built a 14-point lead. Arizona blew it open with a big run that put the game out of reach by halftime.
UP NEXT
Oregon State: Hosts No. 9 UCLA on Thursday night.
Arizona: Plays at California on Thursday night.
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No. 9 UCLA routs Washington State 76-52; 13-0 at home
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just over a week removed from a spirit-crushing loss to crosstown rival Southern California, UCLA gave itself an attitude check.
Senior David Singleton gathered his teammates and reminded them that their time together is short. March is on the horizon and the ninth-ranked Bruins want to make a national championship run.
“We’re playing for something bigger than ourselves,” Singleton told them. “I just wanted to make them think about it.”
Jaime Jaquez Jr. heard his fellow senior loud and clear. It showed in UCLA’s 76-52 win over Washington State on Saturday night.
Jaquez had 24 points and a career-high 15 rebounds in the Bruins’ 21st consecutive home victory.
“We took the pressure off ourselves. A lot of times you get pressure from outside sources, media, people telling us this or that. Today we came together,” Jaquez said. “We played with a lot different attitude, a lot more positive attitude, not thinking about anything other than winning a game.”
The Bruins (19-4, 10-2 Pac-12) own the nation’s longest active home winning streak, including a 13-0 mark at Pauley Pavilion this season.
“It was closer to playing 40 minutes with the intensity that we want,” UCLA coach Mick Cronin said. “We needed it.”
Washington State (10-15, 5-9) was without second-leading scorer DJ Rodman. The senior missed both games in Los Angeles because of illness. The Cougars were led by TJ Bamba with 19 points. Justin Powell added 17, hitting five 3-pointers.
The Cougars lost to the Bruins by one point at home on Dec. 30 after leading for over 35 minutes in the game. This time, WSU kept it close early in the first half before UCLA twice pulled away to leads of 10 points.
“We did a good job of not letting them get comfortable even though they came out firing,” Cronin said.
The Bruins dominated the second half. Jaquez scored 10 of their first 15 points. He had four in a row to lead an 11-0 run that stretched UCLA’s lead from single digits to 57-38.
“He’s got great talent,” Cronin said. “He can do whatever you need him to do.”
The Cougars committed 11 of their 15 turnovers in the first half. UCLA scored 19 points off WSU’s miscues.
BIG PICTURE
Washington State: The Cougars are trending in the wrong direction with six games left in the regular season. They’ve lost five of six and two straight. Of their remaining games, two are against teams that are below them in the Pac-12 standings.
UCLA: The Bruins have eight regular-season games remaining in which to preserve their Pac-12 lead. The biggest one comes at the end when they host No. 5 Arizona, the team chasing them in the standings. The Wildcats won 58-52 in Tucson last month, snapping UCLA’s 14-game winning streak.
BETTER IN EVERY CATEGORY
The Bruins were better than the Cougars in every category. They outscored WSU 36-12 in the paint and their bench outscored WSU’s reserves, 17-0. Singleton had eight points off the bench to go with three rebounds, three steals and two assists.
“I only have so many games left, so I decided I wanted to play my heart out,” he said. “It’s not even about points, it’s about the hustle plays.”
UP NEXT
Washington State: Hosts rival Washington on Feb. 11.
UCLA: Visits Oregon State on Thursday.
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White, Johnson propel USC to 80-74 victory over Washington
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tre White totaled 22 points, Kobe Johnson scored 21 and Southern California turned back Washington 80-74 on Saturday night.
USC’s fourth straight win was the 200th victory for coach Andy Enfield, who is in his 10th season with the Trojans.
White made 10 of 16 shots from the floor and added eight rebounds and four assists for the Trojans (17-6, 9-3 Pac-12 Conference). Johnson sank 5 of 7 shots with two 3-points and made all nine of his free throws. He added five assists and four steals. Boogie Ellis contributed 14 points and five assists. Drew Peterson pitched in with 11 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks. It was his fourth double-double this season.
Keion Brooks Jr. made 11 of 13 foul shots and scored 22 points to lead the Huskies (13-12, 5-9), who have lost three straight. Brooks added 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season, and four assists. Keyon Menifield hit four 3-pointers and scored 21 with four assists. Braxton Meah added 11 points before fouling out and Jamal Bey scored 10.
A dunk by Meah gave Washington a 16-9 lead at the 11:49 mark of the first half. White scored nine in an 11-0 run and his three-point play gave the Trojans a 31-22 lead with 3:06 left. Menifield hit a 3-pointer and two free throws to get the Huskies within 34-27 at the half.
Meah had baskets to begin and end an 8-0 run and Washington grabbed a 35-34 lead with 17:13 remaining to play. Menifield buried a 3-pointer to give the Huskies a 60-58 lead at the 4:11 mark. Ellis followed with a jumper, Johnson hit a 3-pointer and White scored off a turnover to push USC’s lead to 65-60. The Huskies got no closer than three over the final 2:44.
USC shot 45% overall to Washington’s 44%. The Trojans hit only 4 of 22 shots from 3-point range, while the Huskies sank 6 of 17. Washington had a 20-18 edge at the free-throw line. USC outscored Washington 42-32 in the paint and had 23 assists to just 12 for the Huskies.
UP NEXT
Southern Cal: The Trojans travel to play Oregon on Thursday.
Washington: The Huskies travel to play Washington State on Saturday.
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