A final Gill Coliseum nightmare for Arizona: Jordan Pope hits buzzer-beating 3 to shock No. 9 Wildcats

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Just before Arizona slammed the door on its sometimes horrific history at Gill Coliseum, Jordan Pope and Oregon State gave them another nightmare.

Pope sank a 3-pointer from the left wing as the buzzer sounded to give the last-place Beavers an 83-80 shocker over the No. 9 Wildcats, who finished their Pac-12 history at Gill Coliseum by losing five of their final 13 games at the historic fieldhouse – including miseries suffered by Elite Eight-bound teams in 2010-11 and 2014-15.

This time, Arizona led for 29 minutes and by up to 12 points, but couldn’t stop the Beavers behind the 3-point line throughout the game. OSU entered Thursday ranking just 231 nationally with a 3-point shooting percentage of 32.5 but hit 12 of 20 this time, with Pope sinking 5 of 8 3s en route to his game-high 31 points.

OSU’s 60.0% mark from 3 was was the second-best any UA opponent has shot this season, behind only the 16 of 25 3s that Stanford hit en route to a 100-82 upset of Arizona on Dec. 31.

“They made a lot of shots, more than their average for the year, but that's just the price we’ve got to pay when the `Block A’ is on our chest – people gonna come out and have a hell of a game,” forward Keshad Johnson said. There were “a couple plays where we could have done something a little different, change the narrative of the game, but things happen.”

Shots happen. Lots of shots. Especially the one that Pope hit at the end, after he took the ball with 11 seconds left and drove downcourt, then to the left side of the wing. UA freshman KJ Lewis, one of the Wildcats’ best defenders, shadowed Pope closely but briefly lost his footing, allowing Pope just enough space to fire away.

The ball fell through the net just as the buzzer went off, with hundreds in the crowd of 4,239 spilling on to the court.

“It’s a play that we work on a lot where we get action on the on the opposite side, which gives the point guard space on the left,” Pope said. “So I knew I was gonna have that side to create and if not (there would be) some action on the weak side for someone coming off. (But there was) daylight and I took the shot.”

Pope, who made the Pac-12’s all-freshman team last season and leads the Beavers in scoring this season, said it was the biggest shot of his life.

“Definitely,” he said.

UA coach Tommy Lloyd said he was hoping to get to overtime in part by not fouling behind the three-point line, as Johnson did against Pope with 1:27 left.

“I thought he was gonna go down and shot fake, and put us in a situation where we foul because he did that a little bit earlier to Keshad,” Lloyd said. “He hit an incredible shot.

“It's tough. The advantage goes to the offense in that late-clock situation. It’s a tie game, so if you make it, you’re a hero. If we make a mistake on defense and you get fouled, you’re probably gonna win. We were just hoping the ball would have bounced off the rim and we get to see another day.”

Arizona (14-5 overall, 5-3 in the Pac-12) will still get to see Oregon on Saturday but that game will now offer the Wildcats only a chance to tie for first place with the Ducks instead of taking possession of it outright. 

Oregon (14-5, 6-2) beat ASU 80-61 on Thursday to sit alone in first place, a game ahead of Colorado, UA and ASU in the loss column. OSU (10-9, 2.6) now will host ASU on Saturday.

But while Lloyd mostly praised the shot that Pope made, he indicated many other OSU 3-pointers were avoidable. Particularly those made by a pair of 6-9 forwards, Tyler Bilodeau (3 of 4) and Michael Rataj (2 of 3), who sometimes broke free without a defender in sight.

Back to homepage

Subscriber Login

Keep reading with a digital access subscription.

Subscribe now

“Our bigs got to step up on some of these bigs,” Lloyd said. “Our bigs are literally acting like they've never seen another big make a 3. We've probably got to scout it better, and we got to respect people a little bit more. But that's on the coaching staff and on our bigs. We’ve gotta be better there. It’s a recurring theme against us.”

Arizona’s starting center, Oumar Ballo, also had a rough night offensively. He scored seven points while going 2 for 4 from the field and hitting just 3 for 8 from the free-throw line.

On one trip to the line early in the second half, Ballo’s first shot barely touched the outside of the net and the second one banked in. Fans chanted “air ball” before he missed both free throws he took with 2:58 left, leaving OSU with a six-point lead.

Ballo had tape over two fingers on his left hand, but Lloyd wouldn’t say if he was hurt or if the issue affected his shooting.

“I dunno. Make layups, make dunks,” Lloyd said. “Try to make your free throws. I'll give you (Ballo) a little grace on those but make the other stuff because you're too of a player not to.”

After Ballo missed his final two free throws, Bilodeau gave OSU a nine-point lead, 77-68, when he hit a 3 just as the shot clock expired.

UA scored six straight points from there, with Johnson hitting both ends of a one-and-one with 1:56 left to make it 77-74. But then Johnson fouled Pope behind the 3-point line, and Pope hit all three ensuing free throws to give OSU an 80-74 lead heading into the final 75 seconds.

Arizona managed to tie the game at 80 after getting two key steals – the first coming when Larsson stole a pass from Pope and later ran in for a layup with 52 seconds left, and the second when Rataj threw an errant inbounds pass straight into Johnson’s outstretched hands.

Johnson’s steal forced Rataj to eventually foul Larsson, who hit both free throws with 11 seconds left to tie the game, but left enough time for Pope to return for his dramatic game-winner.

“I thought we had opportunities to take control of the game. We just didn't take enough advantage of that,” Lloyd said. “And when you play on the road and let a team kind of hang close, you're playing with fire.”

Seen and heard in Corvallis: Tommy Lloyd not sentimental (yet) about Pac-12, sneakers showcased

Seen and heard in Corvallis, Oregon: Arizona's Tommy Lloyd not sentimental, suppressing Pac-12 sadness on final road swings, sneakers showcased and more.

Photos: Oregon State buzzer 3 drops No. 9 Arizona, 83-80, men's college basketball