Oregon State Falls To Wyoming 75-66

Oregon State fell 75-66 to Wyoming behind a dominating performance from the Cowboys frontcourt. The Beavers started off with rough shooting, and continued to have trouble getting shots to fall all night. Tres Tinkle served as pretty much the lone bright spot for OSU. He played with high energy and led the charge with his assertiveness on offense. He was one of four Beavers with at least three free throw attempts. And the charity stripe certainly helped keep OSU in the game.

Wyoming senior Hayden Dalton continued his hot start to the season. He hit a tough contested 3-pointer late in the first half that summed up his game. Dalton found soft spots in the defense and hit contested shots, finishing with 22 points (4-of-7 from the 3-point line). He was aided by Alan Herndon-another senior-and his four 3-pointers made. Herndon was a thorn in OSU’s side all night. He finished with six blocks and controlled the paint throughout. The Cowboys tough defense resulted in tough shooting nights for the Beavers backcourt. Jaquori McLaughlin, Ethan Thompson, and Stephen Thompson Jr. shot a combined 3-of-21 from the field. Compare this to Justin James, the six-foot seven-inch Cowboys wing who finished with 19 points, including 7-for-11 from the free throw line, and it easy to see how the game slipped away from OSU.

Wayne Tinkle’s squad was down by four points at half. They came out with a lot of confidence in the opening minutes of the second half, but then they fizzled quickly and let bad defensive habits come back. OSU’s inside defense was terrible all game long. Wyoming scored 11 straight points as the game neared the two minute mark, and that is what sealed the game for the Cowboys.

On the night the Beavers shot 40.7 percent from the field, 20 percent from the 3-point line, and 60.9 percent from the free throw line. They protected the ball well, finishing with only 11 turnovers. But for OSU to win this game their defense would’ve needed to lock down better on Wyoming’s shooters, and provide better weakside help defense. Too often Oregon State was playing too far off of knockdown shooters because defenders were trying to provide help from the strong side, a inexperienced mistake.

The loss dropped the Beavers to 1-1 on the season. They will be back in action on Saturday at Gill Coliseum against Long Beach State.