Oregon State
Arizona
Beavers battle in loss to Arizona
January 31, 2016 | Men's Basketball
TUCSON, Ariz. – Oregon State battled Arizona late into the second half on Saturday before the 18th-ranked Wildcats pulled away for an 80-63 victory at the McKale Center.
Freshman forward Tres Tinkle (pictured) scored 16 points and senior forward Olaf Schaftenaar tied his career high with four 3-point baskets and 14 points for the Beavers (12-8, 3-6 Pac-12). They completed the first half of the Pacific-12 Conference schedule with a solid effort for 30 minutes before Arizona (17-5, 5-4) used a 29-14 run to close out the game.
“We responded; we were not ourselves the other night tonight” in an 86-68 setback at Arizona State this past Thursday, coach Wayne Tinkle said. “We came out focused and showed heart and toughness.
“I am really proud of the guys for responding. We are not into moral victories but we showed some life. We just have to put 40 minutes together” on the road. “Our guys stood toe-to-toe with them for 30 minutes.”
OSU trailed 34-30 at halftime and was within 51-49 with 10:47 remaining following a basket by senior Langston Morris-Wlaker. However, Arizona ran off 10 unanswered points for a 61-49 edge with 8:22 remaining and the Beavers never got closer than eight points thereafter.
Senior guard Gary Payton II had nine points, six assists and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Stephen Thompson Jr. added nine points; Drew Eubanks added six as the four freshmen who scored combined for 33 points.
Tinkle, who made his fourth consecutive start after coming off the bench in the previous 16 games, finished the two-game Arizona road trip with 28 points and upped his averaged to 15.5 points, best on the team over that span.
Thompson Jr. added 23 points in his two desert appearances. He led OSU with 14 points in the loss at ASU.
The Beavers resume Pac-12 action against Utah at 8 p.m. Thursday at Gill Coliseum. The game will be televised by ESPN2.
“Believe in us; we are fighting and trying to build,” coach Tinkle said. “It's not going to happen overnight. It's a process and it's going to take time.
“We need to stay positive, stay focused, stay in the moment and keep building.”
