Tuscon, Ariz. — Luke Walton matched his season high with 16 points as ninth-ranked Arizona beat Oregon State 65-54 Thursday night to give the Wildcats a 20-win season for the 14th year in a row.
Michael Wright added 13 points and Gilbert Arenas 10 for the Wildcats (20-7, 12-3 Pac-10). Richard Jefferson had nine points and a season-high 10 rebounds as Arizona dominated the boards 39-21.
Deaundra Tanner and Jimmie Haywood each scored 15 for the Beavers (10-18, 4-12), who lost for the 19th consecutive time at McKale Center. Jason Heide added 13 points for Oregon State.
The Wildcats took control with a 20-6 run in the first half after a rare technical foul against Arizona coach Lute Olson. Tanner sank both Oregon State free throws to cut the lead to 12-10 with 12:26 left in the half.
Arizona, with a lineup of four reserves, went on an 11-3 spurt to go up 25-13 on Gene Edgerson's two free throws with 7:30 left. When the 20-6 outburst ended on Arenas' two free throws with 4:11 left in the half, the Wildcats led 32-26.
The teams played to a virtual, and sometimes sloppy, standoff after that.
Arizona led by as many as 20 before Oregon State outscored the Wildcats 13-4 at the finish. The final 11-point margin was as close as Beavers got in the second half.
Oregon State coach Ritchie McCay drew a technical for running onto the court to complain that Jefferson had a foot on the line on a free throw. Wright made those two free throws to give Arizona a 35-18 lead with 3:29 left in the half.
Jefferson's 14-footer 2:14 before halftime gave the Wildcats their biggest first-half lead 37-19. Arizona led 39-23 at the break.
Arizona reserves scored 20 of the team's 39 first-half points.
Wildcats' center Loren Woods, in his next-to-last home game, drew two fouls in the game's first eight minutes and sat out the rest of the first half. He finished with two points, was 0-for-2 from the field and had two rebounds in 26 minutes.
Oregon State's Brian Jackson fouled out with 17:12 left in the game and finished with two points.
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