It was the win that Oregon State was simply waiting for.
After a somewhat slow first half, which saw the Beavers head into the break with just a three-point advantage, head coach Wayne Tinkle’s squad turned it up to another level in the second half, outscoring Arkansas-Pine Bluff 48-24 through the last twenty minutes of action to secure a runaway, 85-58 victory over the Golden Lions.
The win moves Oregon State to 6-3 overall on the year now, having already surpassed last season’s win total through just nine games. The defeat drops Arkansas-Pine Bluff to 0-10 overall on the season, extending their current losing streak to 16 games.
On the night, the Beavers were paced by a collection of impressive performances, headlined by forwards Drew Eubanks (19 points, 7-9 FT) and Tres Tinkle (19 points, 3-6 3PT), as well as both halves of the Thompson brothers in junior Stephen (12 points, 8 assists) and freshman Ethan (14 points, 7 rebounds). Oregon State also got useful help from rookie forward Alfred Hollins (13 points, 4-4 FG), a talent expected to take on a larger role going forward.
Overall though, one of the major keys to the Beavers success throughout the contest was their willingness to play unselfishly, which proved itself in the team assisting on 20 of their 29 overall baskets.
Oregon State also out-rebounded Arkansas-Pine Bluff by an impressive 35-22 margin.
Despite the lopsided loss, the Golden Lions did have three players reach double-figures in scoring in the contest, including Travon Harper (20 points, 10 rebounds), Charles Jackson (14 points, 3 assists) and Joe’Randle Toliver (12 points, 4-6 3PT). However, the team’s leading scorer in Martaveous McKnight (17.9 PPG) was held to just 4 points on the evening, hindered by an absymal 1-10 shooting performance from the field.
The rest of the Arkansas-Pine Bluff roster combined to score just total 8 points.
The Golden Lions will now move on to their next contest, in which they’ll travel to Fresno State on Wednesday (December 13th).
As for Oregon State, the Beavers get back in action on Tuesday (December 12th) at home against Jacksonville State at 7:00 PM PT. The Gamecocks are currently 7-2 on the season.