Beavers Downed By No. 23 Oregon, 63-51
January 19, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 19, 2002
By LANDON HALL
AP Sports Writer
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Frederick Jones scored 16 points and Robert Johnson had 11 rebounds as No. 23 Oregon stayed tied for first place in the Pac-10 with a 63-51 victory over Oregon State on Saturday night.
Luke Jackson added 15 points for the Ducks (14-4, 6-1), who are surprising contenders at the midway point of the conference schedule. Oregon is tied with Southern California for first.
The Ducks have won 10 of 11 games and already have exceeded their conference win total from last season, when they were 5-13.
Philip Ricci had 12 points and seven rebounds to lead Oregon State (8-9, 1-6), which has lost six straight to its rival and 16 of 17.
The Beavers, who haven't had a winning season since 1989-90 - Gary Payton's senior year - are fighting to avoid being the bottom two teams in the Pac-10 and getting left out of the conference tournament.
Oregon led by as many as 16 points in the second half, but Brandon Payton - Gary's half brother - sank a 3-pointer to cap a 10-1 run and pull the Beavers within 51-44 with just under eight minutes remaining. But they got no closer.
Oregon, which came in as the top-scoring team in the Pac-10, and fourth-best in the country, at 86.4 points per game, built a 14-2 lead as the Beavers missed their first seven shots. The Ducks' fast start was highlighted by a soaring, two-handed reverse dunk by Jones, on a fastbreak lob from Luke Ridnour.
The Beavers were hobbled early by the usual foul trouble of forward Brian Jackson, who outdid himself by picking up two offensive fouls in the first 90 seconds.
Still, Oregon State started getting the ball inside to Ricci, who led the Beavers back by scoring eight points during a 13-4 run. However, the Beavers erred by trying to run with the Ducks and not taking as much time off the clock as possible on each possession.
Instead, the Beavers - last in the Pac-10 in scoring at just under 67 points a game - settled for long shots, which gave Oregon some easy transition chances.
Anthony Lever started a 10-2 run with a 3-pointer, and the Ducks led 34-22 at halftime. Oregon shot 56 percent in the half, while Oregon State shot 29 percent.