CORVALLIS, Ore. – Arizona (4-12, 0-5 Pac-12), which is coming off a loss to the eighth-ranked Oregon Ducks on Friday, is set to face No. 22 Oregon State (12-4, 3-2 Pac-12) on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. MST. The game will be aired live on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
Sunday, Jan. 14, 2018
TV: Pac-12 Networks (Ann Schatz & Mary Murphy)
Radio: 1400 AM (Derrick Palmer)
Twitter: @ArizonaWBB
#MadeForIt
 
FROM THE TIP
 

• Arizona made the short trip from Eugene to Corvallis on Saturday in preparation for a matchup vs. No. 22 Oregon State. The Wildcats will be looking for their first win over the Beavers since Jan. 14, 2012.

 

• Freshman Sam Thomas has hit her stride her in Pac-12 play as she averages 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in conference games. Over her last four games, Thomas averages 13.8 points and 7.3 rebounds. Thomas recorded her second-career double-double against Oregon on Friday with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

 

• JaLea Bennett has been a scoring machine for Arizona as she averages a team-high 15.6 points per game, which is eighth in the Pac-12. The senior has scored in double-figures in two-straight games after failing to hit double-digits against Stanford (1/5),

 

• Kat Wright has been struggling to find her shot as of late, but the senior transfer from FAU knocked down three three-pointers against Oregon for 12 points, the most she has scored since she had 18 against Southern Utah on Dec. 20.

 
Last Five vs. Oregon State
2/5/17: Oregon State 65, at Arizona 57
1/29/16: at Oregon State 71, Arizona 43
2/15/15: at Oregon State 73, Arizona 48
1/23/15: Oregon State 73, at Arizona 55
2/28/14: at Oregon State 78, Arizona 48
 
Scouting the Beavers
Oregon State is coming off a 57-54 win at home against No. 18 Arizona State and now holds a record of 12-4 overall and 3-2 in the Pac-12. The 21st-ranked Beavers are led by Marie Gulich, who scores 16.7 points and grabs 8.4 rebounds per game, which are sixth and third in the Pac-12, respectively. Mikayla Pivec scores 12.4 points and Kat Tudor scores 11.7 points per game to round out their double-figure scorers. Oregon State really locks it up on the defensive end as they allow just over 56 points per game to their opponents. The Wildcats will be looking to break a seven-game losing streak to the Beavers with their last win coming on Jan. 14, 2012 when Arizona won 58-56 at Gill Coliseum.
 
We See Ya JaLea
JaLea Bennett is one of the two seniors on the team (Kat Wright) and will be looked upon as a leader for the young group of Wildcats this year. Along with Destiny Graham, they are the two remaining student-athletes that played for former head coach Niya Butts. Bennett has turned up the scoring this year as she averages 15.6 points per game, which would be a huge career-high should she maintain and is currently eighth in the Pac-12. The senior has already set a new career-high in total points scored with 249 points. Her previous career-high was 187 total points in 2016-17. The senior has scored in double-figures 14 times this season, which is a career-high. Bennett broke a streak of 11-straight double-figure games against Stanford (1/5) as she had trouble finding her shot, scoring just eight points, but got back on track with 13 points vs. Cal (1/7) and had 10 on Friday against Oregon.
 
Thomas Does It All
Through the first 13 games of her career, Sam Thomas has been rather impressive on the floor. All while playing a team-high 37.2 minutes per game, she averages 10.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.7 blocks. After recording the first double-double of the season for any Wildcat against NAU (12/7), she became the first freshman since LaBrittney Jones (2014) to finish the game with a double-double. Her 15 rebounds against Southern Utah is the most since Jones grabbed 15 on Dec. 15, 2013 and her 49 minutes are the third-most in school history. Against Oregon, Thomas recorded her second-career double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. She has now scored in double-figures in four-straight games for the first time this season and averages 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in Pac-12 play.
 
Sam in the Pac-12
In the Pac-12, Thomas is second in minutes played (37.2 mpg), third in rebounding (8.4 rpg), fifth in blocked shots (1.7 bpg) and fifth in steals (1.9 spg). She is the top freshmen in the categories mentioned in the previous sentence and is the third leading scorer among freshmen in the Pac-12. Thomas is the only player in the Pac-12 to be in the top 10 in rebounding, blocks and steals. Additionally, Thomas is fifth in blocks per game and sixth in rebounds per game in the country among freshmen.
 
Where She Ranks Among Arizona Freshmen
Thomas has a shot to break a couple freshman records, and below is a look at where Arizona's top freshmen stood through the first 13 games of their respective careers.
 
Blocks
Shawntinice Polk (2002-03) – 34
LaBrittney Jones (2013-14) – 29
Sam Thomas (2017-18) – 27
 
Minutes
Sam Thomas (2017-18) – 595
Reiko Thomas (2008-09) – 585
Lucia Alonso (2016-17) – 535
Davellyn Whyte (2009-10) – 535
 
Marlee Gets Buckets
Freshman Marlee Kyles is Arizona's third leading scorer through the first 13 games of her career by averaging 9.8 points per game off the bench while playing 24.2 minutes per game, which is the sixth-fewest on the team. She scored 17 in the season opener against Iona (11/10), had 18 against Loyola Marymount (11/22) and had a career-high 19 against Long Beach State (11/28). She missed three-straight games due to an injury, but returned and played nine minutes against Oregon.
 
Buenos Dias, Lucia
It's hard to believe, but Lucia Alonso is already the third-longest tenured Wildcat on the 2017-18 roster as a sophomore. Alosno has been outstanding from beyond the arc as she is shooting a team-high 39% (23-54), which is 10th in the Pac-12. Additionally, Alonso third in minutes per game (36.3). Against Hawaii (12/17), Alonso had a terrific game with a career-high 21 points on 8-17 shooting and 3-6 from beyond the arc. She scored a game-high 15 points against Stanford on Jan. 5. Over her last two games, Alonso has an assist/turnover ratio of 9/2.
 
It's Her Destiny
Destiny Graham has stepped up her game so far in 2017. She is scoring 8.8 points (140 total points, a career-high) per game to go along with 6.4 rebounds per game, which is second on the team and are both career highs. Graham recorded her first-career double-double against Southern Utah with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds in a career-high 37 minutes. The junior has done a good job of getting to the line and making her free throws as she is 41-51 (80%) from the charity stripe, which is fifth in the Pac-12. Coming into the 2017 season, Graham had scored in double-figures just three times and has already scored in double-figures six times this season. On the rebounding side of things, she came into the season with one double-figure rebounding effort and has three this season after bringing down a game-high 10 boards against Cal (1/7). Graham averages 8.3 rebounds per game over the last four contests and 4.3 offensive rebounds over her last three.
 
Your Newest WildKAT
After visiting campus this past April, Kat Wright decided to finish out her college career at the University of Arizona. A transfer from Florida Atlantic University, Wright has 158 career made three-pointers, which would be sixth all-time in Arizona history. Wright was forced to sit out the 2016-17 season due to injury, but during her junior year in 2015-16, Wright lit it up as she made 87 trey balls on 40% shooting while scoring 11.7 points per game. To put that into perspective, only one Wildcat has made more than 82 three-pointers in one season, and that was Lisa Griffith wo made 92 in the 1996-97 season. The highlight of her career came on Jan. 30, 2016 when she drained 11 three-pointers against Charlotte, which is the second-most made three-pointers in NCAA history in a single game. She had her breakout game against Southern Utah as she dropped a season-high 18 points, which is the most she had scored since her 33-point game, and nailed the game-winning three-pointer in double-overtime with eight seconds left on the clock. Wright knocked down three triples against Oregon ranks 10th in made triples per game in the Pac-12 (1.7).
 
Lock it Up
The Arizona defense has really stepped up in its last three games. All against ranked opponents, the Wildcats are allowing just 58.7 points per game. On Friday, Oregon came into the game scoring just under 87 points per game, but Arizona held them to 62 points, which is the second-fewest the Ducks have scored all season. The only other team to hold Oregon to under 70 points this season is highly ranked Louisville.
 
Winning the Turnover Battle
Arizona has done a good job of winning the turnover battle as of late as they have committed more turnovers than their opponent just two time in the last eight games. During that stretch, Arizona's turnover margin is +16.
 
Barnes vs. Oregon State as a Player
Adia Barnes had a record of 4-4 against the Beavers during her playing career from 1995 to 1998. In those eight games, she averaged 17.6 points and 8.1 rebounds, including 29 points and 8.5 rebounds her senior year. On Feb. 19, 1998, Barnes dominated with a 30-point, 11-rebound effort in a 75-47 victory where she made the game-winning layup with no time left on the clock.
 
They're Called Free Throws for a Reason
Arizona has done a good job of converting their free throws this season as they are shooting at an 74% clip, which is fourth in the Pac-12. Destiny Graham ranks fifth in the Pac-12 in free throw percentage (80%). Even though they don't qualify in for top free throw percentages in the Pac-12 due to minimums, Sam Thomas (81%) and Kat Wright (81%) are very good from the stripe as well.
 
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