Oregon State
Arizona State
Beavers fall short at ASU
January 29, 2016 | Men's Basketball
Tempe, Ariz. – Guard Stephen Thompson Jr. scored 14 points to lead three freshmen in double figures on Thursday in Oregon State's 86-68 loss to Arizona State at Wells Fargo Arena.
The Beavers (12-7, 3-5 Pac-12) outscored ASU (12-9, 2-6) 51-50 in the second half but could not overcome a 36-17 halftime deficit. They trailed by as many as 29 points in dropping to 0-3 in conference road games this season.
Freshmen Drew Eubanks and Tres Tinkle and senior Langston Morris-Walker all scored 12 points each for the Beavers. Eubanks had a team-high seven rebounds and Tinkle had five.
“It's just disappointing,” coach Wayne Tinkle said. “We had great momentum at home,” in defeating No. 21 USC this past Sunday, “and to not have the same focus and intensity is puzzling.
“On the road you have to get some stops. Giving up 60 percent [shooting] is not Beaver defense. If we would have defended like we are supposed to we scored enough to be in the game
“We have to find a way to learn from it put it behind us and get better.”
Senior guard Gary Payton II had seven assists but was limited to two points, his lowest output of the season and just the second time in 19 games he did not reach double figures. He was averaging 17.5 points entering the game.
The 14 points were a career high in Pac-12 games for Thompson Jr. He has scored in double figures in 6 of his last 8 games and is averaging 10.6 points in league play.
OSU shot just 5 of 26 from the field in the first half, when the Sun Devils used a 13-1 run to turn an 8-5 lead into a 21-6 advantage with 10:48 remaining in the first half.
OSU shot much better in the second half (19-32) but did not make a serious run at the lead. An 8-0 run drew the Beavers within 59-40 with 9:30 remaining but they did not get closer until closing the game on a 7-2 run.
The Beavers resume Pac-12 action at Arizona on Saturday, starting at 6:30 p.m. PST. The game will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.
