If there was any point on the Pac-12 schedule when the third-ranked ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats were supposed to get little bit sleepy, it was Thursday night.
Last-place Oregon State was coming to McKale Center with only seven healthy scholarship players. And next up on Saturday was Oregon, which has beaten ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ seven straight times, in a game that is drawing ESPN and its "College GameDay" crew to town.
Not surprisingly, then, en route to their 83-69 win over OSU on Thursday, the Wildcats trailed or were tied for much of the first 15 minutes. They led by just two, 44-42, at halftime, then used two relatively modest runs in the second half to take control of things.
They wound up with the usual big performances from forward Azuolas Tubelis (22 points), wing Bennedict Mathurin (20) and Christian Koloko (16 points and nine rebounds).
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But it all may not have measured up to the high standards the Wildcats have created for themselves en route to their 23-2 start.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ center Oumar Ballo swats the ball out of the reach of Oregon State center Roman Silva during Thursday's first half.
“I think you chalk it up to Oregon State, you give them a little bit of credit," ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ coach Tommy Lloyd said. "Maybe human nature got us a little bit, but at the end of the day, if we're hemming and hawing over a 14-point conference win, we’re probably nit-picking a little bit.â€
Mostly, Lloyd blamed himself for using the Beavers to test out some new defensive and offensive wrinkles that fizzled, even while his Wildcats moved to 23-2 overall and 13-1 in the Pac-12 while OSU dropped to 3-21 and 1-13.
“I’m gonna wear that one,†he said. “We got maybe too tricky with our game planning and to be a good team, you can't trick the game. And that's on me. We were trying some things defensively that we obviously weren't doing a very good job of doing. I thought it took some of our aggression away and I just thought we were playing pretty lazy overall. Probably a lot of that was the scheme.â€
Whatever it was, the Beavers took advantage by shooting 45.7% overall and hitting 6 of 13 3-pointers in the first half. OSU actually took five different leads before halftime, leading by four points early and 30-27 with 6:35 left in the half when center Roman Silva made a rebound basket.
One of the few early signs of life for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, meanwhile, were two drives to the basket from guard Dalen Terry that erased two of OSU's first-half leads.
“I just read the game,†Terry said. “If they’re not gonna guard me, I’m gonna go score the ball. And if they guard me, I’m gonna find my teammates. Luckily, that happened and it got us going.â€
The No. 3-ranked ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats overcame another sloppy start to cruise past the Oregon State Beavers 83-69 Thursday night at McKale Center.
The Wildcats did lose some momentum late in the first half, while also receiving a scare when Oumar Ballo went down with 3:50 to go in the first half. Ballo was helped into the locker room after appearing to suffer a left ankle injury.
While Ballo went back into the game with 1:06 left in the half, at that point the Beavers were cutting what was a 43-34 UA lead with 2:21 left all the way down to just two points when Warith Alatishe hit a 3-pointer with two seconds left.
UA led 44-42 at halftime and Lloyd wasn’t the only one kicking himself.Â
“That's on the players,†Terry said of UA's slow start. “Obviously we’ve got to pick it up but we did a good job of picking it up in the middle of the first half and keep it going through second half to win the game.â€
As it turned out, Lloyd did actually put some of it on his guys, though he quickly added that “us coaches aren’t perfect either.â€
Lloyd said the Wildcats have been adding some of the defensive wrinkles to their base defense all season but that the execution wasn’t there this time.
“If you’re not playing extremely hard before you get to those, it’s a problem,†Lloyd said. “I just felt like our ball pressure dropped off. I thought our bigs weren’t playing the way they were capable of and I really challenged them at halftime to pick it up.â€
They did.
Leading OSU just 44-42 at halftime, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ went on a 13-3 run to start the second half. Tubelis (six points) and Mathurin (five) combined for 11 points through the first three minutes of the half to give UA a quick 55-42 lead that prompted OSU coach Wayne Tinkle to call timeout.
At that point, the Beavers had missed five of their six shots. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ then went on another 12-2 run to take a 75-53 lead midway through the second half, getting an emphatic dunk from Tubelis on the break and a 3-pointer by Mathurin.
By then, the Wildcats' effort was clearly there. UA went up by 21 with six minutes left when Lloyd began turning to his seldom-used reserves, finishing with 52.5% shooting from the field while holding the Beavers to just 39.1%.
“I have a little saying I always keep in my office,†Lloyd said. “It’s 'Effort … before execution.' I think sometimes as coaches, we get a little too cute. At the end of the day, nothing beats great effort.â€
Photos: Third-ranked Wildcats outlast Oregon State 83-69 in McKale Center
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats forward Azuolas Tubelis (10) scoops his way to a bucket against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Dalen Terry (4) swings his way under Oregon State Beavers guard Dashawn Davis (13) for a basket in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin (0) holds his form after dropping a long-range three against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Justin Kier (5) drops a pass over the Oregon State Beavers defense for an assist in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

Oregon State Beavers head coach Wayne Tinkle can't believe his team didn't get a call as they fall behind the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa (25) gestures to the bench for the defensive set against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Pelle Larsson (3) gets knocked off his feet as he forces Oregon State Beavers guard Dashawn Davis (13) into a turnover in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats head coach Tommy Lloyd encourages his offense as they come up the floor against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats center Oumar Ballo (11) swats the ball out of the reach of Oregon State Beavers center Roman Silva (12) in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats center Christian Koloko (35) bumps Oregon State Beavers forward Glenn Taylor Jr. (35) in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Dalen Terry (4) goes hip-to-hip with Oregon State Beavers guard Dashawn Davis (13) for a basket in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats center Oumar Ballo (11) finishes off a dunk while the Oregon State Beavers defense watches in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin (0) finds enough room for a reverse lay-in against the Oregon State Beavers in the first half in their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

A couple of fans in the Zona Zoo student section wearing mo-cap suits dance to the pep band just before the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats go up against Oregon State at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats center Christian Koloko (35) elbows his way to two points Oregon State Beavers center Roman Silva (12) in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats center Oumar Ballo (11) jostles with Oregon State Beavers forward Glenn Taylor Jr. (35) for a rebound in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats center Oumar Ballo (11) gets fouled by Oregon State Beavers center Roman Silva (12) shooting from the top of the key in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Dalen Terry (4) fights for a rebound with Oregon State Beavers guard Jarod Lucas (2) in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Bennedict Mathurin (0) drives into the lane against the Oregon State Beavers in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

Oregon State Beavers forward Warith Alatishe (10), left, fights with ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats forward Azuolas Tubelis (10) for the rebound in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats guard Kerr Kriisa (25) wrestles his way out of the grip of Oregon State Beavers forward Ahmad Rand (44) to drive into the lane in the first half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats center Christian Koloko (35) is all alone to slam home a bucket against the Oregon State Beavers in the second half of their Pac 12 game at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.
University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ vs Oregon State, men's basketball

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Wildcats big men center Christian Koloko (35), left, and center Oumar Ballo (11) get out on the court early, getting warmed up to go against Oregon State at McKale Center, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, Ariz., February 17, 2022.