Arizona guard Bennedict Mathurin (0) looks to the official to see if he drew the foul on what turned out to be an and-one on his bucket against Oregon State in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 11, 2021.

 Kelly Presnell / Arizona Daily Star

The Arizona Wildcats snapped a two-game losing streak on Thursday night, beating Oregon State 70-61 in McKale Center.

The victory marks a season sweep of the Beavers and improves UA’s conference record to 8-6 on the year.

These numbers explain how the Wildcats got it done:

7

Oregon State whittled Arizona's 13-point second-half to just four with 5:04 remaining when Jarod Lucas hit a 3-pointer as he was fouled and then nailed the ensuing free throw.

The Wildcats answered by scoring seven straight points to get the lead up to 11 with 2:24 remaining. James Akinjo found an unguarded Christian Koloko for an easy slam to put an exclamation point on the run.

14

Both Akinjo and freshman Bennedict Mathurin scored 14 points. Mathurin was inserted back into the starting lineup after coming off the bench last week against Colorado and made a team-high three 3-pointers. Eight of his 14 points came in the second half.

“I’ve been in the gym a lot,” Mathurin said about his efficiency from long range. “I was really confident in taking that shot.”

Akinjo, who shot a combined 6 for 21 from the field in his last two appearances, returned to form against the Beavers. He hit 5 of his 12 shots and two 3s.

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With Ira Lee sidelined because of an ankle injury, Koloko stepped up. He led the  frontcourt rotation in points (nine) and was second in rebounds (eight).

He was also one of the team’s best free throw shooters, hitting 5 of 6 from the line.

Arizona guard Terrell Brown Jr. (31) lofts a free-throw as the Wildcats are sent to the line to hold on against Oregon State late in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, Tucson, Ariz., February 11, 2021.

34

The Wildcats got to the free throw line 34 times on Thursday, marking the fifth time this season the team has had 30 or more attempts.

“That was one of our game plans,” Koloko said. “We knew if we attacked the rim, we would get fouled.”

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The Beavers entered the game ranking fourth in the conference in 3-point percentage, hitting at a 36% clip on the season. They didn’t have the usual success from deep against the Wildcats, missing 16 of their 23 attempts.

For comparison, Arizona ranks as the best 3-point shooting team percentagewise in the conference (38%). Thursday, the Wildcats made made 7 of 18 (39%) 3-pointers.

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