HOOPS: Oregon State season ends

OREGON STATE raced out to a 12-6 lead early and stuck with Arizona for a half. And 'Zona fans might have even been a little nervous when after the first twenty minutes, the top seeded 'Cats held just a three point edge. But UA connected on three quick treys early in the second half, and OSU never recovered in the 78-69 loss that ended the season for the Beavers.

Jared Cunningham was at full wattage early, scoring 11 of the Beavs’ first 15 points. He finished the first half with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting.

Oregon State forged a 22-15 lead midway through the first half, sparking thoughts of a titanic upset but they were quickly extinguished as Arizona began to find it from long range.

Arizona went on an 9-0 run to take first lead of the game at 24-22 and built their advantage to as many as seven before OSU closed to 40-37 at the break.

UA was 6-for-9 on three pointers in the first half, and what killed OSU's chances were three quick treys in the opening minutes of the second half. The last built Arizona's lead to double digits and the outcome was never seriously in doubt after that.

Oregon State cut the lead to 58-51, as Ahmad Starks heated up again from outside -- he scored 17 points to go with his 15 from Thursday's opening round win over Stanford -- but the Beavs could get no closer.

Oregon State shot well from the floor -- 50.9 percent -- but was awful from the free throw line, connecting on just 6-of-16.

Cunningham, the game's leading scorer, suffered leg cramps and nausea later in the game and also took an inadvertent shot to the back of the head. He finished with 23 points.

Oregon State forced 16 Arizona turnovers, but the 'Cats drilled 11-of-21 from beyond the arc (52.4 percent).