It wasn't pretty, but Oregon State emerged from Gill Coliseum with a 49-45 win on Wednesday night in their first-round CBI tournament matchup against the Houston Cougars.
On paper, the two teams were very different, but on the court, Oregon State dictated the tempo. Houston did miss a large number of shots, which ruined the point of their fast-paced, run-and-gun Conference USA style,
With the win, the Beavers proved they belong in a post-season tournament, moving their overall record to 14-17 on the year. They'll now advance to host Vermont Monday at Gill Coliseum.
"I was not sure about that one for awhile," Coach Robinson said after the game. "It is good for these guys to get into tournament play, playing a new opponent. It is great for the program; it is great for those guys in the locker room, great for the staff and great for the university. We are really excited about this."
Daniel Deane led the Beavers in scoring with 14 points off the bench. He was 7 of 7 in the game-- it seemed like everything he touched turn to gold. Omari Johnson added 11, also off the bench.
The Beavers didn't shoot the ball particularly well at all in the first half, making just 6 of 23 shots. But in the second half, the Beavers found a groove, going 11 for 21 on their way to a 33 point half.
"We saw something that was available and guys just executed it," said Coach Robinson. "We didn't have time to go over it at halftime, we just talked about it, and those guys came out and executed it brilliantly."
Whatever 'it' was worked-- the Beavers scored 33 points in the second half after scoring just 16 points by halftime.
"The thing I am most proud of with these guys is their defense. This is a team that averages 80 points a game, and we got them down to 45."
The win over Houston marks the first non-Pac-10 post-season tournament victory since the Beavers knocked off New Mexico 85-82 in the NIT Tournament after the 1986-87 season. The Beavers will now move on to play Vermont in the quarterfinals of the CBI. That game will be played Monday at Gill Coliseum.
--Jake (jake.buildingthedam@gmail.com)