Final Score: Oregon State 83, Lewis & Clark 58
Exhibitions are always interesting, for one reason or another. The hopes of a new season are new and fresh, but a loss can derail fan support and team morale for weeks on end. The Beavers avoided that fate Sunday night in Corvallis, taking care of Lewis & Clark for a 25 point victory.
The Beavers let the Pioneers know early on that an upset wouldn't be in store, jumping out to a 6-0, then 14-6, advantage in front of a lively, post-football weekend crowd of 2,037.
Head coach Craig Robinson picked up right where he left off in March on the defensive end of the court, starting immediately in an in-your-face man. And right off the bat we saw why, as the Beavers forced a turnover on Lewis & Clark's opening possession.
Also nice was the fact that Robinson got to ease up less than 12 minutes into the game, minimizing the chance of a tragic injury and giving fans a chance to see some players that won't see much action this year. Robinson, who will hold practice tomorrow before flying to Chicago for Election Day on Tuesday, inserted Devon Collier as the first substitute just 4:31 into the game.
Collier, who started the game on the bench in favor of Joe Burton, dominated the Pioneer defense for the entire first half. He entered the locker rooms at halftime with ten points, going five-for-five from the field.
14 of the 16 Beaver players on the roster saw game action tonight, with Daniel Jones remaining on the bench and Daniel Gomis inactive due to a tweaked knee. The extent of the tweak is not known.
Collier's game tapered out with the start of the final 20 minutes, finishing with 12 on the night. Ahmad Starks led the team with 14 points, including a dagger three with 12:56 to go to put the Beavers up 56-35.
Starks Led The Beavers With 14 Points In Their Exhibition Victory (credit: Oregon State Athletics)
While Starks and Collier conveniently traded good halves, Ross Erickson was putting together a great full game for Lewis & Clark. The senior guard out of Sisters led all scorers with 15 points.
Freshman Olaf Schaftenaar's stroke from outside may have been the surprise of the night, drawing instant comparisons to that of his brothers. Schaftenaar hit back-to-back triples to put the Beavers up by 25 with 8:45 to play, and finished with a total of nine points.
As the Beavers began to incorporate their walk-ons into the rotation, the Pioneers largely stuck with their normal guys and were able to stay even the rest of the way.
The fans that stayed to the finish were treated to the highlight of the night, a ferocious tip-jam by freshman Victor Robbins that drew comparisons to Jared Cunningham's famous "kiss the sky" dunk by color commentator Kevin McShane. C.J. Mitchell capped Oregon State's night with a jumper with 38 seconds to go, and Jason Luhnow ended the game with a three to put the final margin at 25.
Oregon State finished the exhibition season 1-0 thanks to the victory.
For hoops fans that weren't in attendance, the live stream on Pac-12.com turned out to be a success. Despite microphone issues in the early going, the combination of Mike Parker and McShane was very enjoyable to listen to.
Next up for the Beavers is their regular season opener on Friday night against Niagara, while Lewis & Clark will turn its attention to their opener on the same night against UC Santa Cruz.
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