Oregon State
Valparaiso
Payton II Posts Ninth Career Double-Double
November 25, 2015 | Men's Basketball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Senior guard Gary Payton II scored a season-high 25 points but the Oregon State men's basketball team suffered its first loss of the season on Tuesday, falling 63-57 to Valparaiso.
Payton II added 11 rebounds for his ninth career double-double, and added three steals and two assists. He now has at least one steal in 36 consecutive games, once short of the school record set by his father, Gary Payton, in the 1989 and 1900 seasons.
Freshman guard Stephen Thompson Jr. added nine points and junior guard Malcolm Duvivier added eight for the Beavers (4-1), who were denied in their bid to open the season 5-0 for the first time since 1986. Valparaiso (6-1), among those teams receiving votes in this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll, thus earned a split on its two-game Northwest road trip.
The Beavers shot a season-low .375 (21-56) from the floor and also made just four 3-pointers after hitting 10 in road wins at Rice and UC Santa Barbara last week. They were also outrebounded 40-30.
Valparaiso hit three consecutive 3-pointers during a 9-0 run that transformed an 8-6 deficit into a 15-8 lead with 12:27 remaining in the first half. OSU got within 19-18 with 6:47 left on a 3-pointer by Olaf Schaftenaar but the Crusaders answered with a 6-0 run to regain some breathing room, and they never looked back.
Valparaiso led 34-25 at halftime, scored 6 of the first 8 points in the second half and eventually led by 17 (48-31) with 12:28 remaining. It rebuffed each OSU run and never let the Beavers closer than the final score.
The Beavers resume action on Dec. 2 with a 7 p.m. matchup against the Loyola Marymount Lions at Gill Coliseum. It will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.
Fans can purchase OSU men's basketball season tickets and single-game tickets by visiting this link or by calling 800-GO-BEAVS. Far West Classic Invite tickets will be included for all season-ticket holders, giving fans a total of 14 more games to watch in Corvallis and Portland this season.
For Far West Classic Invite tickets and other information, click on this link.
