Guard Stephen Thompson Jr. scored 13 points as Oregon State boosted its NCAA Tournament hopes with a 75-66 wire-to-wire victory over Arizona State in the opening round of the Pac-12 tourney Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

Sixth-seeded Oregon State (19-11) will play third-seeded Cal in a conference quarterfinal game Thursday. The Beavers are generally projected among the final at-large teams in the NCAA field.

Oregon State All-Pac-12 guard Gary Payton II, held scoreless in the first half, finished with 10 points, nine rebounds and four steals. He finally got on the board with 16:28 left with an all-alone fastbreak dunk.

The Beavers used a 9-0 run to take a 61-45 lead with 4:49 left and had enough of a cushion as the Sun Devils rallied to cut the lead to seven twice in the final 68 seconds.

Arizona State (15-17) lost six of its final seven games in coach Bobby Hurley's first season.

Guard Gerry Blakes led the Sun Devils with 20 points. Forward Savon Goodman added 14 points off the bench.

Arizona State, which attempted more 3-point shots than any team in the Pac-12 in the regular season, missed its first seven tries while falling behind 15-4. Oregon State wasn't much better in the first half, shooting 33.3 percent from the field as each team struggled against the other's zone.

Oregon State forward Tres Tinkle, the team's second-leading scorer and rebounder, missed his third consecutive game because of a foot injury. It is uncertain whether he will return this season.