One down, one to go.
After fending off Oregon State 70-59 in McKale Center on Thursday night, Arizona is now one win away from its first outright Pac-10 title since the 2004-05 season.
UCLA -- who was tied with Arizona for first in the Pac-10 heading into tonight -- fell to Washington in Seattle, meaning the Wildcats can win the conference title outright with a victory over Oregon on Saturday.
The Wildcats weren't exactly at their best, as they made only five of 23 three-pointers (21.7%) and missed seven free-throws. But the Beavers shot themselves in the foot with a ridiculous 22 turnovers, five of which came in the first three minutes of play.
Oregon State shot 51.1 percent from the field and scored at will down low from time to time, but the Beavers struggled getting into the offense, which was the difference in the game.
They committed 14 turnovers in the first 15 minutes of play (almost a turnover per minute) and trailed 34-23 at the break. Jared Cunningham, OSU's leading scorer, finished with only seven points while committing five turnovers.
As for the Wildcats' offense, they lived on the perimeter far too often jacking up contested threes early in the shot clock. But Momo Jones (game-high 17 points, three assists and two steals) ultimately did a nice job moving the ball and penetrating the gaps for easy buckets.
The Wildcats finished with 17 assists -- which is over twice as many as they collected during the USC and UCLA game combined -- while turning the ball over only eight times.
Head coach Sean Miller said earlier this week that the Wildcats needed to regain their offensive balance in order to return to form, and they did exactly that as four players finished in double figures.
Derrick Williams showed signs of life on offense after taking last weekend off, as he racked up a double-double in the first half and finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Williams grabbed over 50 percent of Arizona's rebounds (23 team boards), but did struggle defensively and at the line, where he missed five of Arizona's seven free-bees.
He also disappeared in the second half as he made zero field goals and scored only two points. But the Wildcats were clearly in the driver's seat and didn't need D-Will to take over.
Solomon Hill and Kevin Parrom were rock solid at the small forward position, each scoring 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Neither team played particularly well in a fairly sloppy game, but Arizona ultimately took control as the Wildcats only trailed for 48 seconds over the course of the game.
Oregon State never cut the deficit to less than eight during the second half, and the Wildcats led by as many as 15 before eventually fending off a Beavers team that defeated Arizona the last three times they've played prior to tonight's matchup.
With the win Arizona clinched at least a tie for the Pac-10 title and can win it outright against the Ducks on Saturday in McKale Center, where they could finish the season undefeated with a victory.
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