Oregon State
East Carolina
Oregon State Falls Short Against East Carolina, 64-62
November 18, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2004
By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Mike Cook scored 22 points and Japhet McNeil made two clutch free throws down the stretch, helping East Carolina hold off Oregon State 64-62 Thursday night in the semifinals of the BCA Invitational.
Sasa Cuic missed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer that would have won it for the Beavers (1-1).
Moussa Badiane, who was suspended from the opener because he played in a non-certified summer league, added 13 points and five blocks for the Pirates (2-0). They play No. 19 North Carolina State in the final Friday night.
East Carolina led throughout most of the second half, and the margin was nine after Badiane made a jumper with about 6{ minutes left.
Oregon State fought back and eventually got within two on a 3-pointer by Chris Stephens with 31 seconds remaining. McNeil was fouled and converted both free throws before Cuic hit a fadeaway from the baseline to make it 64-62.
Cook went to the line with 10.8 seconds left and missed the front end of a one-and-one, giving the Beavers a final chance. They called a timeout to set up a play, and Stephens was momentarily open for a 3.
He lost the ball, and it went to Cuic, who heaved an off-balanced shot that missed everything. Still, the freshman finished with 23 points, a night after his three-point play gave Oregon State a two-point victory over Siena in the first round.
Stephens had 12 for the Beavers.
The Pirates missed their first seven shots and fell behind 11-0. The margin eventually grew to 23-11 before they rallied, using a 14-2 run to tie it. A 3-pointer by Tom Hammonds gave East Carolina its first lead, and Jonathan Hart added a free throw to increase the margin to 30-28 at the break.
