Oregon State
Mississippi Valley State
Payton II's Double-Double Powers Beavers
December 04, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Junior guard Gary Payton II had his second consecutive double-double and established career-highs for the second game in a row to lead Oregon State to a 74-50 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Wednesday night.
Payton had 24 points and 16 rebounds and punctuated an outstanding all-around performance with an emphatic stickback slam dunk as the Beavers (4-2) ended a two-game tailspin with the convincing win over MSVU (1-7) before a Gill Coliseum crowd of 3,656.
“We're starting to see moves like that more and more from him," junior forward Daniel Gomis said about Payton II's putback dunk. "He did that same thing in Vegas. When I watch his highlights I think, 'man, he is unbelievable'. He is just a really gifted athlete. It really doesn't surprise me though because even in practice he goes for every rebound and every dunk. Great plays like that one are going to continue to show up this season.”
Junior guard Langston Morris-Walker and Gomis added 11 points apiece for the Beavers. They never trailed and led by as many as 24 points before coach Wayne Tinkle cleared the bench with about two minutes to play.
Payton's previous bests of 20 points and 12 rebounds came in a 71-69 loss to Auburn on Nov. 26. He had a double-double by halftime on Wednesday, as his 12 points and 10 rebounds helped stake the Beavers to a 40-28 halftime advantage.
He was 8-of-12 from the floor, made all three of his 3-point shots, had four steals, two blocks and two assists, and evenly divided his 16 rebounds between the offensive and defensive ends.
The Beavers outrebounded the Delta Devils 53-39 as junior guard Victor Robbins complemented Payton with seven boards. Junior forward Olaf Schaftenaar and sophomore guard Malcolm Duvivier added four assists apiece.
Payton had three 3-pointers in the first half, when the Beavers used a 7-0 run to break a 5-5 tie and take a lead they would not relinquish. MVSU was within 27-23 with 6:27 left in the half, but the Beavers closed with a 13-5 run.
OSU opened the second half with a 15-3 run to assume a 55-31 advantage with 11:35 remaining. The Delta Devils didn't get closer than 18 points from that point on.
The Beavers enjoyed a 36-16 edge in points in the paint. They outscored MVSU 23-8 off turnovers and 31-19 in second-chance points.
The Beavers visit Portland at 7 p.m. Saturday in their next game; it will not be televised. Their next home game is 1 p.m. Dec. 13 against Mississippi State.
Oregon State is offering an exclusive #Commit2Wayne ticket plan that provides fans with season tickets for a flat $199 (tickets were $364 last season). The price will gradually step up the following seasons ($249, $299, $349) but remain affordable, and there is no obligation to commit to all four years.
Season tickets will be $349 next year and beyond for fans who do not take advantage of this unique opportunity this year. Fans can secure their season tickets for a $25 deposit by calling 800-GO-BEAVS or visiting beavertickets.com.
