USC cruises to an easy victory over Oregon State, 92-66

The Beavers were defeated by the Trojans Thursday night, 92-66. Oregon State got off to a quick start, but things quickly fell apart. In fact, USC led by double digits for the final 30 minutes of the game.

Oregon State’s scoring was surprisingly well-balanced against the Trojans (it was just few and far between). JaQuori McLaughlin led the Beavers with 12 points. While Stevie Thompson, Drew Eubanks, and Kendal Manuel all chipped in 11. Ben Kone contributed 10 points off the bench.

As you can imagine, the box score was not a pretty sight. USC out-shot Oregon State and had more rebounds, assists, steals and blocks than the Beavers. The Trojans had a better shooting percentage inside the arc, outside the arc and at the free-throw line. Oregon State also managed to commit more fouls and turnovers than USC.

Stevie Thompson Jr. didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but did manage to secure 8 rebounds and dish out 6 assists, which was a welcome sign for the Beavers. Oregon State almost lost Stevie for the season earlier this week when he suffered a right-foot injury in practice. Fortunately, the team received welcomed news as test results came back negative and he was expected to be ready against USC. (First reported by Danny Moran of the Oregonian).

Oregon State played without Tres Tinkle for the 19th straight game and Cheikh N’diaye for the 16th straight game. It seems more and more likely that Tres Tinkle will not return this season as the Beavers chase the wrong side of the history books.

The Beavers face UCLA on the road Sunday. UCLA is coming off a thrilling 82-79 victory over the Ducks.