The third-ranked Arizona Wildcats turned on the jets in the second half once again to run past Oregon State at McKale Center and win 83-69.
Arizona shot over 50% from the field in both halves to continue its hold onto first place in the Pac-12.
These numbers explain how the Wildcats notched their 23rd win of the season.
20: In four career games against the Beavers, Benn Mathurn has finished with 31, 14, 28 and — after Thursday’s performance — 20 points. The sophomore has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games, matching a stretch in December earlier this season.
6: Arizona got its first double-digit lead of the game when Mathurin and Azuolas Tubelis scored the first 11 points of the second half to make it 55-45 at 17:11. The Wildcats made six straight baskets to begin the half.
52-28: UA outscored the Beavers 52-28 in the paint. It helped Arizona that OSU’s big men got into foul trouble. When starting forward Warith Alatishe got his fourth, it allowed the Cats to get to the rim with ease.
9: For the first time this season, the Wildcats have posted back-to-back games with less than 10 turnovers. The Cats turned it over nine times against both Washington and Oregon State.
500: With 26 assists against Oregon State, Arizona eclipsed the 500-assist mark in a season for the 10th time in program history. UA’s average of 20.3 assists per game leads the country.
23: The Wildcats led by as many as 23 points in the second half until the final two minutes, when UA’s walk-ons came into the game. It’s the fourth straight game the Cats have led an opponent by 20 or more points.
2 of 9: The Beavers started the game shooting 5 of 8 from 3-point range. They eventually cooled off, going just 2 for 9 (22%) from 3 in the second half.
12: 12 of Arizona’s 13 conference wins have come by at least 10 points.
2: The Wildcats are one of two teams in the country with top 10 KenPom.com efficiency ratings on both offense and defense, the other being No. 1-ranked Gonzaga.
