Scouting report: No. 14 Arizona Wildcats at Oregon State Beavers

Probable starters

ARIZONA

G Shaina Pellington (5-8 senior)

G/F Jade Loville (5-11 senior)

F Esmery Martinez (6-2 senior)

F Lauren Fields (5-9 senior)

F Cate Reese (6-2 senior)

OREGON STATE

G Bendu Yeaney (5-10 senior)

G Noelle Mannen (5-6 senior)

G Adlee Blacklock (6-0 freshman)

F Raegan Beers (6-4 freshman)

C Jelena Mitrovic (6-9 junior)

History of matchup

Arizona is 36-38 against Oregon State. UA coach Adia Barnes is 5-6 against OSU coach Scott Rueck, having won the last five games in the matchup. Lauren Fields was the hero last time they played, sparking a 12-point comeback in the final minutes to win 72-69 in January. She scored nine points during that stretch. Helena Pueyo got the run rolling with a steal and a layup, and Shaina Pellington followed with a pair of steals.

The last time these two teams played in Corvallis, key plays on offense and defense allowed UA to squeeze by with a 55-53 win. Pellington hit a jumper from the top of the key with 0.5 seconds left for the game-winner. But with time left on the clock, it was the tenacious defense — and long arms — of Sam Thomas, who deflected the Beavers’ inbounds pass at midcourt, not allowing them to get off a shot. Pellington scored 12 points, all in the second half. Another key contributor was Wildcat-turned-Beaver Bendu Yeaney, who led all Wildcats with 15 points (5 of 8 from the field) and one steal.

Key players

OREGON STATE — Bendu Yeaney

Yeaney is playing in the final regular-season game of her six-year collegiate career, and she is playing against her former team. She transferred from Arizona to OSU in April to be closer to home, and she has become the anchor for the Beavers. She is averaging 8.4 points and 3.1 assists per game. The last time she played in Tucson in January, she scored eight points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished five assists. Yeaney is coming off a near triple-double in Thursday’s loss to ASU with 12 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds, plus three blocked shots and three steals. Yeaney’s three blocks tied a career high set vs. DePaul last season.

ARIZONA — Paris Clark

The freshman is hitting her stride at the right time of the season. She brings a spark off the bench and is always active on the floor — whether it’s jumping for rebounds or fighting for a 50/50 ball. All of that energy, as well as understanding the system better, has earned her minutes on the court. In the last five games she is averaging nearly 20 minutes per game. She is coming off a near double-double against Oregon, scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Clark also dished one assist and picked a steal.

She said it

“We are looking to bounce back after the loss to Oregon. We came out flat and (with) no energy, which is surprising because we have been playing well. It’s Senior Night for them, and we have to come out and perform.

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“We’re excited for another opportunity to play and bounce back. We know how important it is to finish this road trip out the right way because it affects seeding for Pac-12 Tournament and hosting for NCAA (Tournament).

“It’s Bendu Yeaney’s last night as a senior, and we have to be ready for her to come out and play well. But, we’re up for the challenge.”

— UA assistant coach Ashley Davis, who scouted OSU

Sidelines

On the road: Arizona’s final games of the regular season are on the road. If this seems odd, it is. The Wildcats have finished on the road only once during the Barnes coaching era. That was during the 2020-21 season, when they played the last three games away — at Cal, Stanford and ASU. That was the “COVID season” in which no fans were allowed to games. That was also the season the Wildcats played in the national championship game.

“It’s good for me, because we’re able to see where we are at mentally as a team,” Barnes said. “Can we go on the road and win a game we are supposed to win? It gives us a test, and I don’t mind that.”

Injuries: Both teams have some nagging and some not-so-nagging injuries.

OSU guard Talia von Oelhoffen took to Twitter on Thursday to announce that she has been battling an injury and would not play the rest of the season.

The injury bug also has hit the Wildcats. Freshman Lemyah Hylton has a sprained ankle and did not make the trip to Oregon. Barnes said they will need Hylton for the postseason in some fast-turnaround games and wanted to make sure she is healthy for that stretch.

Jade Loville has been playing with a broken toe the last few weeks. She has been seen in team photos wearing a boot when she’s not on the court. Loville’s shot really hasn’t gone down during this stretch, but Barnes said: “She’ll be fine.”

“We need Jade moving forward,” Barnes said. “I think she had some good looks (Thursday night) that she is totally capable of making. We need her.”

Countdown to Dallas: In 34 days, the Final Four will be held in Dallas from March 31-April 2. It is the second time the city has hosted, and Dallas has also been awarded the games in 2031. Phoenix will be hosting in 2026.

This year, the national championship game and a one-hour pregame special will be televised on ABC for the first time. The title game is usually on ESPN. The activities around the games will include a concert; a “Tourney Town” with games, food, giveaways and a history of previous Final Four teams; a bounce parade for kids 18 and under; pregame parties; and various events celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX.

Fun facts

Arizona: Barnes surprised her team early in the week by bringing the food truck from Bella’s Gelato Shoppe to McKale Center to celebrate the wins over two ranked teams, Utah and Colorado ... Autumn Johnson from NCAA March Madness selected Barnes for her top five “Lit Fits” for the outfit — leather pants and pink blazer — that she wore for the Wildcats’ win over Cal on Feb. 12.

Oregon State: Mannen’s sister, Grace, rowed at Portland … Raegan Beers’ brother, Rocky, plays football at Air Force.

Numbers game

21 — Arizona’s Shawntinice Polk had a Pac-12-record 21 double-doubles as a freshman during the 2002-03 season. Just how dominant is this? The closest player to Polk is Cal’s Kristine Anigwe with 14. OSU’s Beers has 13 this season.

2 — On Thursday night, Yeaney was two assists short of tying the OSU school record (15), which is held by Mercedes Fox-Griffin and Boky Vidic. Two of the three games that Griffin-Fox (2007) and Vidic (1995) dished 15 assists came against Arizona.

17 — Loville needs 17 points to cross the 1,500-point threshold. She would join Cate Reese and Pellington as the only current UA players who have scored more than 1,500 points in their collegiate careers. The Wildcats have three players — all in the Ring of Honor — who have scored more than 2,000 points: Barnes, Aari McDonald and Davellyn Whyte.