CORVALLIS — Marie Gulich scored the last three points and Mikayla Pivec got a hand on a potential game-tying shot as No. 22 Oregon State defeated No. 18 Arizona State 57-54 in a Pac-12 showdown Friday night, handing the Sun Devils their first loss in six games.
Gulich scored a game-high 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting for Oregon State (12-4, 3-2). Her left-handed drive on three defenders with 40 seconds left in the game gave the Beavers a 56-54 lead. She made one of two free throws with 17 seconds to go as Arizona State's leading scorer Robbi Ryan fouled out.
Ryan had tied the game at 54-54 with just under a minute left to play. The Sun Devils (13-4, 4-1) called a full timeout with 16.1 seconds showing on the clock, but a Courtney Ekmark desperation 3-point attempt was partially blocked by Pivec and fell well short.
Ryan scored 19 for Arizona State, matching her career high. Arizona State shot 22 of 63 (35 percent), though the Sun Devils made six 3-pointers to just one for OSU. Arizona State continues a rugged road trip, facing No. 8 Oregon on Sunday.
Pivec added 12 points for Oregon State, which shot 54 percent for the game and made 5 of 8 from the field in the final 10 minutes while holding Arizona State to 2 of its last 14.
The Beavers controlled the glass 36-28, outscored Arizona State 46-20 in the paint and blocked eight shots. Gulich had three blocks, Pivec and Taya Corosdale two each.
Neither team led by more than nine points in a game that saw nine ties and six lead changes. Ryan and Reili Richardson made 3-pointers for a 52-49 ASU lead with four minutes left, and Ryan added a free throw for a 53-51 edge with 3:17 to go. Ryan picked up her fourth and fifth fouls in the last 3:10.
No. 8 OREGON 62, ARIZONA 44: At Eugene, Sabrina Ionescu had 22 points and 11 rebounds as No. 8 Oregon pulled away in the second half to a victory over Arizona.
Ruthy Hebard added 14 points for the Ducks (16-2, 5-0 Pac-12), who won their eighth consecutive game. Ionescu's double-double was her eighth of the season.
Sam Thomas had 14 points to lead the Wildcats (4-12, 0-5). Kat Wright added 12 points and Jalea Bennett had 10.
Arizona lost any hope for an upset by missing its first 12 shots of the third quarter to see a one-point halftime deficit balloon to 14. Hebard was the difference inside against the Wildcats' tight zone in the second half with 10 points.
Oregon countered Arizona's defense with 36 3-point attempts, two off its season high, and made 12. The Ducks were 21 of 55 overall for 38.2 percent and had a 39-37 edge in rebounds.
After trailing early by seven points, Oregon rode a 14-2 run to lead 19-14 after one quarter. It kept looking for the knockout punch from the 3-point line but failed to connect, going 5 for 18 beyond the arc to lead 27-26 at the half.
Oregon took sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 with its win and Arizona State's loss at Oregon State. The Ducks are 5-0 in conference play for the first time and 11-0 at home this season.