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Helped by a rough night from Utah star Timmy Allen and a dominating performance from big man Kylor Kelley, Oregon State throttled Utah on Thursday night in Corvallis, 70-51, to further complicate what has been a roller-coaster 2019-2020 season so far.
With the victory, the Beavers now sit at 15-9 on the year, with a 5-7 mark in Pac-12 play, while the Utes fell to 14-10 overall, with the same league record.
Unlike on most nights for Oregon State, it was not forward Tres Tinkle who carried the load, as the Beavers forward scored a mostly calm 11 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 4 assists in a pedestrian display by his gaudy standards.
Instead, it was guard Ethan Thompson, who finished the night with a double-double, totaling 13 points and a ridiculous 11 assists, while the aforementioned Kelley chipped in a team-high 16 points, 9 rebounds and of course, 2 blocks.
Sharpshooter Zach Reichle also scored in double-figures for Oregon State, tallying 10 points on a 4-6 shooting display. Reserve player Jarod Lucas narrowly missed the plateau, adding 8 points and 4 rebounds, including a perfect 5-5 mark from the free-throw stripe.
Overall, the Beavers offensive attack was balanced and strong, as they finished with 19 assists on 24 made field goals, connecting on 47.1% of their shots from the field. The opposite can be said for Utah, who struggled offensively, shooting just 37.3% as a team.
Leading scorer Timmy Allen was held to just 6 points on a 3-8 shooting display for the Utes, as instead, center Branden Carlson carried the offensive baggage with 13 points. No other player found double-digits in scoring on the night, but key forward Both Gach did return to action for Utah from injury, finishing with 8 points off the bench.
In general terms, this was a really important result for this group. Saturday’s match-up with Colorado will be a brutal one, especially considering the Buffaloes may be emotionally charged up after a late-second half collapse against Oregon. Tad Boyle’s squad will be hungry for a win and Oregon State may simply be the team left in their wake. However, now with some momentum in their sails, I give the Beavers more of a fighting chance.
Up Next: Oregon State hosts Colorado on Saturday, February 15th at 7 PM PT. The game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.