Arizona Wildcats vs Oregon St. Beavers Box Score on Dec 05, 2021

Bennedict Mathurin scored 29 points and No. 11 Arizona forced 22 turnovers as the Wildcats won their Pac-12 opener by beating Oregon State 90-65 on Sunday in Corvallis, Ore.

Mathurin scored 18 in the first half and had five consecutive Arizona points in the second half to give the Wildcats a 64-50 lead at the 12:16 mark. Arizona (7-0, 1-0 Pac-12) was never challenged after that, going up by as 28 points.

Oregon State (1-8, 0-2) lost its eighth consecutive game. Jarod Lucas led the Beavers in scoring with 17 points, although he committed seven turnovers. Warith Alatishe just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Mathurin made 11 of 18 shots from the field, showing off his outside shooting (four 3-pointers) and top-notch athleticism (five dunks). His final points came with 4:22 to go on a fast break when he took the ball behind his back before finishing with a one-handed throwdown.

Christian Koloko added 12 points for Arizona, Kerr Kriisa scored 11 and Azuolas Tubelis contributed 10 points.

The Beavers shot 44.1 percent against Arizona, which entered the game leading the nation in field goal percentage defense (32.5), but failed to keep it close because of all the turnovers. Arizona had a 27-12 edge in points off turnovers.

Arizona struggled early in that area, committing five turnovers in just over five minutes as Oregon State took a 13-7 lead with 14:24 to go in the half. The Wildcats changed the momentum with the help of an occasional press defense, forcing seven turnovers during a 16-0 run, capped by Mathurin's three-point play with 8:54 to go for a 23-13 advantage.

Arizona led by as many as 13 in the half, but Oregon State stayed close by making seven of nine field goal attempts in one stretch. The Wildcats ended up taking a 44-36 lead into the break.

--Field Level Media