Always a featured piece of the Beavers attack, forward Drew Eubanks took his game to another level on Saturday against Loyola Marymount (4-3), when the 6’ 10” forward poured in 22 points on a perfect 10-10 shooting from the field, in Oregon State’s 78-74 victory over the Lions.
The win brings Oregon State (4-3) above the .500 mark for the first time since before their trip to the Advocare Invitational.
The Beavers were helped by three double-digit scorers on the night in addition to Eubanks, which included the likes of forward Tres Tinkle (18 points), Stephen Thompson Jr. (11 points) and Ethan Thompson (11 points). Head coach Wayne Tinkle also got solid contributions from sophomore guard Kendal Manuel (7 points), who saw an increased level of court time, due to the recent departure of point guard Jaquouri McLaughlin.
Oregon State also made some unique defensive strides (at times), holding the Lions to just 15.4% overall from the behind the arc, while also blocking eight shots in the contest.
For Loyola Marymount, head coach Mike Dunlap’s team couldn’t capitalize on a breakthrough 49-point second-half to find a way the Beavers. Instead, the Lions spoiled a balanced offensive team output, headlined by Zafir Williams (14 points), James Batemon (12 points), Mattias Markusson (12 points), Eli Scott (10 points) and Jeffery McClendon (9 points).
The victory will push Oregon State to 4-3 overall on the season, with a 3-1 mark at home, that will need to be defended once again in their next clash on Tuesday, December 5th against Eastern Kentucky.
For Loyola Marymount, they’ll try to bounce-back on Wednesday, December 6th in a home contest against Portland State.