Oregon State
DePaul
Beavers Fall To Blue Demons
December 02, 2013 | Men's Basketball
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Devon Collier scored a career-high 32 points and grabbed nine rebounds, but Oregon State couldn't hold off the hot shooting of DePaul on Sunday afternoon at Allstate Arena in a 93-81 loss that snapped a three-game winning streak.
Roberto Nelson finished with 19 points, going 8-of-13 from the field, and became the 20th player in Oregon State history to reach the 1,200-point mark.
Even though Oregon State made 60 percent of its shots from the field, the Blue Demons were able to dominate the Beavers' defense by pounding it inside for layups and knocking down 6-of-11 shots from beyond the arc to shoot 57.9 percent overall.
"It is always extremely disappointing to lose," Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson said. "This was tough because we didn't play like we had been playing. I didn't think we played very well and I'm sorry about that. I need to evaluate how we prepare once we've had a couple of wins."
The first half was highlighted by a dominant performance from Collier. At the halfway point, the senior had already posted 22 points, on 8-of-10 shooting, and grabbed five rebounds. He finished the game going 10-of-12 from the field and set career highs with 12 free throws and 15 free throw attempts.
DePaul built a 12-point lead with 7:29 remaining in the opening stanza, but Oregon State (3-2) kept chipping away. Nelson cut the lead to 35-33 after a big three-pointer at the 4:05 mark and Collier hit a mid-range jumper with 1:25 remaining to tie the score at 39.
The Blue Demons came out firing in the second half, going on an 8-0 run with 10:25 left, to give them their largest lead of the game at 68-53. The Beavers fought back, going on a 6-0 run of their own, bringing the game to 81-67 at the 5:19 mark.
But Oregon State was unable to get enough stops down the stretch and the Blue Demons walked away with the win in front of a crowd of 6,765.
Five DePaul players scored in double figures, led by Cleveland Melvin's 23 and Brandon Young's 21. Freshman Billy Garrett added 15 points and 10 assists.
The Beavers return to Gill Coliseum on Saturday to take on Arkansas-Pine Bluff at noon in a game that will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
