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Aari McDonald scored 20 points and Cate Reese added 18, but the Arizona women’s basketball team was routed by No. 10 Oregon State, 86-64, on Friday in Corvallis.
It is the second straight loss for the Wildcats, who drop to 13-4 overall and 3-3 in the Pac-12. The Beavers (15-2, 5-0) were the third ranked team Arizona has played in the last five games. The Wildcats play a fourth Sunday in the form of No. 5 Oregon.
Oregon State was led by Destiny Slocum, who notched a game-high 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including four 3s. Taya Corosdale had 14 points, going 4 for 4 from 3.
Arizona took a 26-24 lead with 4:28 left in the second quarter after a layup by Sam Thomas, but it was all Beavers from there. Oregon State used a 13-2 run to take a 37-28 lead at the half.
McDonald scored half her points in the third quarter, but Oregon State still won the period, 23-21. The Beavers broke the game open in the fourth by outscoring Arizona, 26-15.
McDonald had a rough shooting night, going 9 for 24 from the field. However, she was 2 for 4 from 3, while the rest of the team went 0 for 7. One of McDonald’s 3s banked in at the buzzer at the end of the first quarter:
The bank is still open in Corvallis! pic.twitter.com/c1kl8GXAZJ
— Arizona Women's Basketball (@ArizonaWBB) January 19, 2019
The Wildcats only used seven players until freshman Bryce Nixon and former walk-on Lindsey Malecha checked in in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Backup guard and defensive specialist Tee Tee Starks missed her second straight game with a concussion.
Oregon State, which made 11 3s, shot 54 percent to Arizona’s 46. The Wildcats were outrebounded 38-23, but outscored the Beavers 38-30 in the paint.
On a positive note, it was Reese’s second time scoring in double figures in Pac-12 play, and her 18 points were the most the freshman has scored since the non-conference finale against NAU. She was 8 for 12 from the field and 2 for 2 from the free-throw line.
The McDonald’s All-American had only been averaging 4.8 points per game in conference play entering the night.
Thomas made two free throws with 1:32 left in the fourth to finish with 11 points, UA’s third player to reach double figures.