Oregon State lost to Arizona State by 4 in first matchup, host Sun Devils Saturday

In the first round of the Pac-12 regular season, Oregon State lost to No. 3 Arizona and Arizona State by 22 and four points, respectively.

OSU made a 17-point improvement against Arizona in the 74-69 loss Wednesday night.

The Beavers (15-14, 7-10 Pac-12) will only need a five-point uptick against ASU (21-9, 10-7) Saturday in the final game of the season in Gill Coliseum.

OSU’s 86-82 defeat to the Sun Devils was the second overtime game in three contests and the fourth-consecutive game decided by six points or less.

Since then, OSU has gone 2-5 with the only two single-digit differentials coming in the last two games to Arizona and UCLA.

The Beavers have taken a seat in the 10th-place spot in the Pac-12 standings, which will not change regardless of the result Saturday.

In the meantime, ASU has elevated to a third-place tie in the conference with a 69-66 double overtime triumph over Arizona a week after the win against OSU.

A pair of losses to Colorado and Utah followed that upset.

For the Beavers, bouncing back from a grinding defeat Wednesday will be key in taking home a win on senior night.

“They were really disappointed,” said head coach Craig Robinson. “We use whatever motivation we can and I want them to be confident. I think confidence along with disappointment leads to a good outcome. That’s how we came into (the Arizona) game after the UCLA game.”

UCLA dissipated an 11-point Beaver lead in the game prior to the matchup with Arizona, feeding a similar sense of disappointment that was also apparent Wednesday night.

“After that first run where (Arizona) got up (7-0) and we came back, that was a perfect example of having the kind of confidence to know that you can be in this game,” Robinson said.

The Beavers were in control at various times against the Wildcats, but 17 turnovers prevented a consistent offense.

“We were playing and playing together, it was just the turnovers that messed us up,” said senior forward Devon Collier. “If we minimize those, we win most of our games.”

“We just have guys who are being aggressive and trying to make plays,” Robinson added. “The plays that we’re trying to make could easily go the other way.”

In the first Arizona State battle, the Sun Devils were paced by 25 points from senior guard Jermaine Marshall and 23 from sophomore guard Jahii Carson.

Senior center Jordan Bachynski pulled down 15 rebounds along with 17 points in that game with seven blocks, one of seven different times he has recorded at least seven rejections this season.

The Sun Devils are the only team of the two that can change their Pac-12 standing, but with the last game before the Pac-12 Tournament, both teams are looking to head to Las Vegas coming off a win.

“We’re at the last conference game of the season and then we’ve got a tournament where anything is possible,” Robinson said. “I like our chances against anybody.”

Josh Worden, sports reporter

On Twitter @WordenJosh

sports@dailybarometer.com