CORVALLIS, Ore. — Jordan Pope hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Oregon State an 83-80 victory over No. 9 Arizona on Thursday night, with Beavers fans storming the court to celebrate the upset.
Pope scored 31 points and made four 3-pointers in the second half, none bigger than the 22-footer from the left wing as time expired. Pope called it the biggest shot of his career.
“I saw daylight and took the photo,” Pope said. “It feels great. I've worked hard all my life.”
He made 9 of 15 field goals and was 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
Pelle Larsson made two free throws for Arizona (14-5, 5-3 Pac-12) to tie the score at 80 with 11.2 seconds left. Oregon State (10-9, 2-6) decided not to call a timeout, trusting Pope to hit the final shot.
Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd said Oregon State's final possession was well defended and Pope “made an unbelievable shot.”
“I wish the game had gone to overtime and we could have seen if we could get through it,” Lloyd said. “But we don't have that opportunity.”
The Beavers snapped a five-game losing streak. Arizona fell to 1-3 in road conference play and was tied for second place in the conference, one game behind Oregon.
Tyler Bilodeau added 22 points for Oregon State.
“Coming home to Gill [Coliseum] it was about bringing the fight to them, Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. “It's a very talented team, obviously.”
Caleb Love led Arizona with 23 points. Keshad Johnson had 18 and Larsson 17.
Oregon State had a big advantage in 3-point shooting, converting 12 of 20 to just 3 of 14 for the Wildcats.
Bilodeau's 3-pointer capped an 11-0 run that gave Oregon State its largest lead, 77-68 with 2:27 left. Love responded with a four-point play to keep Arizona within reach.
The Beavers, who trailed by 12 points in the first half, overcame a 44-36 halftime deficit with clutch shots. Oregon State made 12 3-pointers to just three for Arizona.
Arizona made eight of its first 11 shots and led 21-9 in less than seven minutes of play. But the Wildcats couldn't extend their lead.
