Dashawn Davis’ Late Heroics Help Beavers Avoid Upset Against St. Martin’s, 83-80

Despite all the flashes of solid basketball that Oregon State displayed in their 83-80 exhibition victory over Division II St. Martin’s on Thursday night, the Beavers still needed a three-pointer from newcomer Dashawn Davis with two seconds in the game left to secure the win. The inauspicious start to the 2021-2022 campaign will leave many to wonder what exactly will this team look like when they hit the floor against Division I opponents starting on Tuesday night (November 9th) against Portland State.

A JUCO transfer, Davis scored 7 points, grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 7 assists in the team’s win, joining a starting five that included the likes of returners Jarod Lucas, Gianni Hunt, Maurice Calloo and Rodrigue Andela. Calloo finished with a game-high 21 points in just under 20 minutes of action, while forward Warith Alatishe was the team’s second-leading scorer off the bench with 14 points, followed by transfer Tre Williams who chipped in 12 points and 7 assists. Andela led the rest of the starters in scoring with 9 points, while Lucas failed to register a point in the contest.

That being said, the bright spots came in the form of Oregon State’s offense, which tallied 27 assists on 33 made field goals and looked to be a bit more free flowing across the board with a variety of guard/wing combinations and big men that can step out to the perimeter. However, Wayne Tinkle’s group looked a bit lackadaisical on the defensive end, allowing the Saints to shot 50% from behind the three-point arc and getting out-rebounded by a 36-33 margin in the game.

Overall, while it probably wasn’t the ideal opening night that everyone expected, Oregon State is a team meshing a group of transfers with a returning core that’s assuming larger roles and it may take a few nights to work out the kinks. So no, don’t hit that panic button just yet, but definitely take this outing for what it’s worth. There’s some work left to be done in Corvallis.

Up Next: The Beavers tip-off their season at Gill Coliseum on Tuesday night (November 9th) against in-state foe Portland State. The game is set for a 7:30 PM PT start and will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.