After an unexpected boost from an upset of a top-10 team, Oregon State will ride some momentum into Saturday’s contest against Arizona State in Corvallis, Ore.
Oregon State (10-9, 2-6 Pac-12) upset No. 9 Arizona 83-80 on Jordan Pope’s last-second 3-pointer that capped a 9-of-15 shooting performance from the field, 5-of-8 from 3-point range.
Pope, who finished with a career-high 31 points, made the 22-foot shot over the outstretched hand of defender KJ Lewis.
“I saw daylight and I took the shot,” Pope said. “It feels great. I’ve put in a lot of work my whole life.”
The Beavers snapped a five-game losing streak, four of them on the road against Washington, Washington State, Utah and Colorado.
“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.”
The Sun Devils (11-8, 5-3) have dropped three of their last four games.
On Thursday, Arizona State led Oregon 33-28 at halftime before allowing the Ducks to make 18 of their 26 field-goal attempts (69.2 percent) in the second half in an 80-61 loss.
“We did not come out with the same intensity in the second half,” Arizona State coach Bobby Hurley said. “We weren’t able to generate any stops. We’re not going to beat a team like this if that’s how we’re going to perform at that end of the floor.”
Jose Perez was the only Arizona State player to score in double figures with 20 points.
Arizona State’s leading scorer this season, Frankie Collins, scored eight and was 4-for-13 from the field (0-for-3 from 3-point range). He is averaging 13.6 points per game.
Adam Miller and Jamiya Neal average a combined 22.9 points. They combined to score eight against Oregon.
The Sun Devils suffered season lows with seven free throws made, 11 free-throw attempts and 27 rebounds.
Arizona State is 10-6 in its last 16 conference road games.
–Field Level Media