Oregon State
Loyola Marymount
Gary Payton II Ties Steals Mark In Win
December 03, 2015 | Men's Basketball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Senior guard Gary Payton II tied his father's consecutive-game steals record and Oregon State pulled away late to post a hard-earned 79-70 victory over Loyola Marymount on Wednesday night before a Gill Coliseum crowd of 4,576.
Payton II finished with three steals and now has at least one theft in 37 consecutive games, tying a mark set by former OSU All-American Gary Payton during the 1989 and 1990 seasons. The younger Payton also had nine rebounds and nine assists to just miss what would have been his 10th career double-double.
Senior forward Olaf Schaftenaar hit 3-of-5 from deep and broke loose for a season-high 19 points to lead four Beavers (5-1) in double figures. Freshman center Drew Eubanks added 17 points, nine rebounds and two blocks; freshman guard Stephen Thompson Jr. added 12 and senior guard Langston Morris-Walker had 11.
“It wasn't pretty but we got it done,” Morris-Walker said of OSU's first victory over the Lions (4-3) since the 1987 season. LMU defeated the Beavers during the 1990 season in the only other game in the series played at Gill Coliseum.
The game was tied seven times, the last at 51-51 with 8:30 remaining. OSU freshman Gligorije Rakocevic scored his lone basket to put the Beavers ahead 53-51 and freshman forward Tres Tinkle followed with a 3-pointer for a 56-51 advantage with 7:37 remaining.
LMU closed within 56-55 with 7:08 left but freshman guard Derrick Bruce buried a 3-pointer with 6:43 left for a 59-55 advantage and the Beavers never led by fewer than four points from that point on.
Bruce had two 3-pointers, added two assists and scored six points to match his career scoring total through the first five games of his career. His first career 3-pointer gave the Beavers a 20-18 first-half lead.
LMU drew within 63-59 with 4:14 to play but Schaftenaar hit two free throws with 3:44 to go for a 65-59 edge. LMU got within 68-64 with 1:53 to go but Schaftenaar hit his final 3-pointer with 1:32 remaining for a 71-74 lead and the Beavers closed it out with two dunks and 4-for-4 shooting from the foul line.
Schaftenaar's previous season-high was six points, against Rice on Nov. 19. He also set a season-high for 3-point baskets, as he'd scored just one in each of his last four games.
The Beavers trailed early but recovered to take a 30-29 halftime lead. They outscored the Lions 49-41 in the second half, when they hit 6 of 10 from long range and 13 of 15 from the foul line.
“Offensively we were definitely more aggressive” in the second half, OSU assistant coach Stephen Thompson said. “They gave us everything we could handle and we were able to come through.
“Langston set the tone early in the second half when we were able to extend and that was a key juncture in the game.”
The Beavers resume action on Saturday with a 1 p.m. matchup against Nevada at Gill Coliseum. It will be televised by Pac-12 Networks and Pac-12 Oregon.
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