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Yesterday the Beavers came up short on the road, despite great games from Ethan Thompson and Tres Tinkle. The Beavers could not come up with enough answers for a stingy Saint Louis defense, falling 65-61.
Despite the Beavers taking an early lead, it was the Billikens that came out of the first half with the lead. Saint Louis’s Javon Bess took control of the game early, with 12 points in the first half. Bess notched a pair of three pointers in the final minute of the half that gave Saint Louis a 33-29 lead going into the break.
In the second half Saint Louis extended their lead to 12 points with 12 minutes left in the game. At that point, the Beavers finally stepped on the gas and fought back. Tres Tinkle and Warren Washington combined to finally open up the paint to some scoring, while Ethan Thompson got work done from the foul line. At the end of the run, the Beavers had grabbed the lead back, 53-50.
Sadly, it wasn’t to be, as Fred Thatch hit a 3 point to give Saint Louis back the lead, and Javon Bess did everything he could to close out the game. Tres Tinkle hit a late three to cut into the Billikens’ lead, but it wasn’t enough, and the Beavers fell 65-61.
Despite the loss, Ethan Thompson had one of his best games of the year, leading the Beavers in scoring with 22 points, and also grabbing 11 rebounds for a double double. Tres Tinkle also managed a double double, with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Kylor Kelley struggled against Saint Louis’s big men, only managing 6 points and 6 rebounds, and getting into foul trouble late in the game. Saint Louis is a tough matchup defensively, and Kelley did manage to make some great contributions, so his development into a great big man seems to be continuing.
Alfred Hollins had a miserable game, with no points and two rebounds despite 27 minutes on the floor. Hollins has to play better than this, because it’s not like the Beavers have the depth to replace him.
Oregon State now stands at 6-2 on the season, and will return to Corvallis next weekend to take on Texas A&M on Saturday, December 15th. Following that, they’ll face Pepperdine on Monday, December 17th. Building the Dam will have previews for both games, so check back later for more basketball coverage.