It is always going to be a bad day at the office when you can muster only 17 points in one half of basketball. Oregon State improved in the second half of the game, but the number seven ranked Arizona Wildcats handled the Beavers easily by a score of 54-37 at the McKale Center.
Arizona has turned on the jets on the defensive side of the ball shutting down the opposition’s best scorer. Tonight they limited OSU’s Gary Payton II to just six points on 3 of 13 shooting, missing all three of his attempts from beyond the arc. The Wildcats forced 17 turnovers tonight, 12 of them being steals which led to easy buckets down on the other end.
Although TJ McConnell did not have a great night shooting the ball – made just three out of nine attempts from the field – he found other ways to contribute to the win. The senior point guard’s hands were active all night long coming away with a game high eight steals. His decisions with the ball were spot on as he made sure to get everyone active, finishing the night with six assists, which was also a game high.
Brandon Ashely and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson played a key role on the offensive side of the ball, scoring twelve and eleven points respectively. Ashley was able to work easily down low as he finished the game shooting over 50% while nabbing three offensive and defensive rebounds. Hollis-Jefferson has without a doubt the most unique pre-free throw ritual as he shimmy’s before each attempt. It might look unorthodox, but it works as he made all five of his shots from the charity strike with his other six points coming from inside the three point arc, giving him a total of eleven.
Oregon State has already surpassed their preseason expectations having won 14 games, losing just seven on the season up to this point. But they have been very inconsistent as they were just swept by the state of Arizona this past week. The Beavers can regain a bit of confidence this coming weekend as they welcome in the Washington schools this next week. Arizona will look for their hot streak to continue as the Wildcats travel up north to Tempe to take on their rival, Arizona State on Saturday afternoon.