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The Beavers opened up the 2009-2010 campaign with a 94-53 exhibition win over the Southern Oregon Raiders. The 41 point victory was very different from last year's exhibition opener, when the Beavers only defeated Saint Martin's by four points. The game was played on a cloudy Sunday afternoon in Corvallis, in front of 2,745 people at Gill Coliseum.
Omari Johnson lead the Beavers with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 4 steals.
Seth Tarver had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. Calvin Haynes had 13 points, 1 rebound, 3 assists, and 4 steals.
Oregon State opened the game up on an 8-0 run before the Raiders could creep back within four at 12-8. But the Beavers would break the game open on a 21-2 run to make the score 33-10. The Beavers would take a 46-22 lead into the locker rooms.
Everybody participated in the game for the Beavers, with Josh Tarver leading the way with 24 minutes of game time.
For the Raiders, Humphrey Jackson lead the way minutes-wise, with 33. Joe White lead Southern Oregon with 14 points, followed by Trevor McCay with 10. The Raiders came into this game with a record of 1-0 after defeating Indiana East 90-85 on Friday night.
For the Oregon State Freshman, Jared Cunningham lead the way with seven points. Joe Burton followed him with six points on the day.
Joe Burton got the laugh of the day though, after falling on and breaking a courtside chair.
Possibly the key stat of the day is via the Points Off Turnovers category, with the Beavers outscoring the Raiders 30-5. They also demolished Southern Oregon in the Points in the Paint category, outscoring them 50-16.
Down the road about 40 minutes, the Oregon Ducks will take on Concordia in their exhibition opener at 5:00 PM.
The Beavers opened up the second half on another 8-0 run to make the score 56-22. After that the game gradually moved along with the result well in hand. David Sturner and Chris Richard both got into the game with about five minutes left.
Although Chris couldn't make the score-sheet, David Sturner did get a bucket late in the ball game. Daniel Deane returned to the hardwood with a somewhat scruffy look, recording seven points in eleven minutes of action.
As far as the crowd goes, the Beaver Dam was loud at times, which I thought was great for an exhibition game. Hopefully the excitement will only grow asthe season goes on.
Next up for the Beavers is their final exhibition contest against Western Oregon, Saturday at 1:00 PM in Gill Coliseum.
--Connor (ConnorOSU@gmail.com)