Oregon State
Elon (BCA Invitational)
Oregon State Beats Elon, 65-55
November 19, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2004
By KEITH PARSONS
AP Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. - Sasa Cuic scored 22 points - including a key steal and an ensuing three-point play in the second half - and Oregon State beat Elon 65-55 Friday in the third-place game of the BCA Invitational.
Chris Stephens added 16 and reserve Marcel Jones had 10 for the Beavers (2-1), who never trailed after they scored 16 unanswered points late in the opening half.
Jackson Atoyebi finished with 19 of his 21 points after halftime for the Phoenix (1-2), and teammate Matt Nowlin scored 12.
Elon took a 17-14 lead on a layup by Chris Chalko with about eight minutes left in the first half before falling apart. Stephens and Cuic made layups and Kyle Jeffers had a putback to start the decisive run. Cuic added a 3-pointer and a steal.
Finally, a jumper from J.S. Nash completed the 16-0 spurt, giving Oregon State a 30-17 lead that it never surrendered.
Midway through the second half, Atoyebi scored from the paint to bring Elon within three before Jones had a layup. Then it was Cuic's turn.
He had a steal and layup, and was fouled by Rasmi Gamble. The free throw completed the conventional three-point play, and Cuic later lobbed a crosscourt pass to Jones for an open 3.
That made it 51-42, and the Phoenix would get no closer than five the rest of the way.
Atoyebi, who failed to make a shot a night earlier in a loss to No. 19 North Carolina State and scored only two points, struggled through a 1-for-4 first half and had only two points in this one at the break. He got going after that, starting with a pair of free throws to start the second half.
He had a personal run of six consecutive points to bring Elon back from a 13-point deficit.
But Atoyebi had no help from Scottie Rice, the second-leading scorer last season who also had only two points against the Wolfpack. Rice tripled that total against the Beavers and finally made a 3-pointer, snapping a run of eight straight misses in the past two games by swishing one in with 27 seconds left.
