Oregon State
Northern Colo
Beavers Squeeze Past Bears, 64-59
November 17, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Nov 17, 2001
By LANDON HALL
AP Sports Writer
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Brian Jackson scored 22 points as Oregon State struggled past Division II Northern Colorado 64-59 Saturday in the season opener for both teams.
Brandon Payton, the half-brother of Seattle SuperSonics guard and former Oregon State star Gary Payton, added 16 points for the Beavers, who had to use five freshmen because of the suspension of two key players.
Jared Ramirez scored 18 points on 6-of-6 shooting from 3-point range to lead Northern Colorado, and his consecutive 3s put the Bears ahead 41-36 in the early minutes of the second half.
Two free throws by Michael Morse, the Bears' tallest starter at 6-foot-6, tied it at 56 with 2:41 to go.
Jackson spun for a layup near the baseline, and after a missed shot at the other end, Payton's layup was touched on the way down for goaltending. He was fouled on the play and missed the free throw, but Jackson rebounded, and Payton was fouled again. He made one of two to seal it at 61-56 with 35.9 seconds left.
Oregon State, which went 10-20 last season and at times used seven players because of injuries, again found itself shorthanded without starting forward Philip Ricci and reserve guard Jimmie Haywood. They were suspended one game for playing in a tournament in Seattle last spring that was not sanctioned by the NCAA.
Still, the Beavers looked awful in the first half, especially on defense. Joe See, a highly regarded freshman guard out of Martinez, Calif., didn't get a hand up to stop Jared Ramirez, who hit four straight 3-pointers during a 14-2 run that put Northern Colorado ahead 18-13.
Oregon State responded with a 16-2 run, but the Beavers' only field goal in the final 5:12 was Jackson's 3-pointer, and Northern Colorado took a 33-32 halftime lead.
