No. 14 Arizona survives for OT win without Allonzo Trier in Corvallis
Feb 22, 2018, 10:11 PM
Arizona guard Allonzo Trier, right, sits courtside as teammates warm up before an NCAA college basketball game against Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore., Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018. Trier has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA for a positive test for performance enhancing drugs. Arizona is appealing the suspension. (AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez)
(AP Photo/Timothy J. Gonzalez)
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Deandre Ayton had 19 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, and No. 14 Arizona, minus one of its star players, beat Oregon State 75-65 in overtime on Thursday night.
Rawle Alkins added clutch scoring with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Dusan Ristic had 14 points for the Wildcats (22-6, 12-3 Pac-12), who were without guard Allonzo Trier.
Trier was declared ineligible by the NCAA after a trace amount of a banned substance was found during a late January drug screening, according to a university statement released Thursday.
Alkins made two free throws with 14 seconds left to send the game into overtime, and then made two 3-pointers as part of a 10-0 surge that put the Wildcats up 73-64 with 1:11 left in the extra period.
Ethan Thompson had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Beavers (13-14, 5-10). Tres Tinkle added 14 points, six rebounds and six assists.
Oregon State didn’t attempt a free throw in the first half, but shot 14 for 17 from the line for the rest of the game.
Arizona went on an 11-0 run, fueled by six points from Ristic, to go ahead 27-15 with 7:15 left in the first half. Oregon State went more than six minutes without scoring.
The Wildcats went to the break up 37-29.
The Beavers responded after halftime and Gligorije Rakocevic’s jump hook tied the game at 50-all with 9:51 remaining.
There were several lead changes from there before Stephen Thompson Jr. missed a jumper before the regulation buzzer for Oregon State.
Arizona is appealing the suspension for Trier, who was averaging 19.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
“The amount detected was minuscule by scientific standards and appear to be a remnant of a substance, which the NCAA agreed, that Allonzo unknowingly ingested in 2016,” the university statement reads.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: Coming into Thursday, the Wildcats had won 11 of their last 12 games against Oregon State, with an average margin of victory of 16.5 points. . Ristic, a senior, reached 110 career victories and tied Kaleb Tarczewski and Matt Muehlebach as the winningest players in program history.
Oregon State: Tinkle is the only Pac-12 player to score in double figures in every game this season. . The Beavers are 12-4 at home this season but 0-8 on the road.
UP NEXT
Arizona plays at Oregon on Saturday.
Oregon State hosts Arizona State on Saturday.
