Beavers Fall Just Short At Charlotte, 69-66

Saturday, December 3

Charlotte, NC

4:00 PM

Oregon State

3-6

Charlotte

6-2

Oregon State

Charlotte

The Beavers sbattled Charlotte to the final possession in a 69-66 loss.

Photo by: Oregon State Athletics

December 03, 2016 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

By: Oregon State Communications

CHARLOTTE, N. C. – Oregon State battled Charlotte to the final possession but the 49ers escaped with a 69-66 win on Saturday in the finale of a two-game road trip.

OSU sophomore guard Stephen Thompson Jr. just missed a game-tying 3-point shot with four seconds to play. The 49ers (6-2) grabbed the rebound as time expired to end the see-saw non-conference battle.

The game was tied for the final time, 59-59, following a Drew Eubanks' free throw with 3:37 remaining. Charlotte scored four points in a row, all from the line, to go ahead 63-59 with 2:43 to play and OSU (3-6) never did draw even.

OSU was within 63-61 with 2:33 remaining, 67-64 after a Kendal Manuel 3-pointer with 53 seconds to play and 69-66 after a JaQuori McLaughlin basket with 23 seconds left. Thompson's final shot to tie came after two misses at the foul line by Charlotte.

A redshirt freshman guard, Manuel made his second career start and scored a career-high 15 points by going 5-for-7 on 3-pointers. He added three rebounds, two assists and a steal.

Thompson and sophomore center Drew Eubanks added 14 points each. Thompson had a career-best seven assists and six rebounds; Eubanks had eight rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Junior forward Matt Dahlen got his first start of the season and had a career-high eight points, three rebounds and two assists. McLaughlin added eight points and five rebounds.

The Beavers trailed 34-28 at halftime but opened with a 12-4 run and surged ahead 40-38 on a Dahlen basket with 14:04 left. They expanded that slim margin to 47-38 with 12:12 to play before Charlotte responded with 13 unanswered points for a 51-47 lead, setting up the back-and-forth finish.

OSU jumped to 6-0 and 8-3 leads and was ahead 24-22 with 5:40 left in the first half following a Thompson Jr. basket. However, they went cold and the 49ers closed the half with a 12-4 run for their 34-28 advantage.

The Beavers are idle this week for final exams. They host Savannah State on Sunday, Dec. 11, in their next game. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Gill Coliseum; the game will be televised by the Pac-12 Network.

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