NOTEBOOK: Disappointing loss for Oregon State basketball
Oregon State lost 75-66 to Wyoming in a disappointing performance by the Beavers on their homecourt. Check out BeaversEdge.com's game notebook below!
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BEAVERS FALL 75-66: Oregon State finished the first half with momentum as an Alfred Hollins' three point shot cut Wyoming's lead to 40-36, and the Beavers came out strong in the second half as well.
Oregon State had their largest lead of the game at 53-47, but the Cowboys wouldn't go away. Justin James and Alan Herndon scored a combined 24 second half points as Wyoming pulled away with the nine point win.
"[Wyoming] is a very, very mature and experienced team, and we're not yet," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. "Our guys battled. We hung in there. Missing eight free throws in the first half didn't help us, but we came out in the second half and really gained control of the game. At the moment of truth, their guys made plays offensively, and we didn't. We just couldn't get stops when we needed them."
The Beavers turned the ball over just once in the first half but gave it away ten times in the second half. Fouling was a problem once again for OSU, as they sent Wyoming to the free throw line for 14 attempts in the second half, compared to five times in the first half.
"Two games in a row where we just couldn't defend without fouling," Tinkle added. "We were fouling too much."
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GUARD PLAY PLAGUES OREGON STATE: Tres Tinkle posted a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds, and Drew Eubanks scored 17 points on an efficient 6-of-9 shooting. The frontcourt for OSU did their part on the scoreboard, but the backcourt struggled mightily.
Between starting guards Stevie Thompson Jr., Ethan Thompson, and Jaquori McLaughlin, they scored just 11 points on 3-of-21 shooting. The Thompson brothers committed nine fouls, and Ethan Thompson only played 22 minutes because of foul trouble. He fouled out in the second half.
"Yeah we've got to be tougher - mentally, physically," Wayne Tinkle said about the backcourt.
POSITIVES TO TAKE AWAY: Oregon State has a weak non-conference slate, and losing to Wyoming will hurt the Beavers' résumé, but the Beavers are a young, talented team that will get better over the course of the season. Oregon State just needs to stay healthy, and get Ben Kone and Cheik N'Diaye back on the court.
"There are some positives," Coach Tinkle said. "I thought Seth [Berger] gave us a couple of good minutes. I thought [Gligorije Rakocevic] was big his first time out [this season]. And that's a difficult team. Our fives are not used to going out there and guarding three point shooters. But we'll learn from it."
FRESHMEN OUTLOOK: All three members of Oregon State's 2017 recruiting class are in the rotation for the Beavers. Thompson is starting at guard, while Hollins and Reichle are reserves on the wing.
On Monday evening, Hollins played five minutes and Reichle played six minutes. Hollins has showed flashes of being a strong player slashing to the rim, while Reichle has struggled with his jump shot.
"I'm going to keep playing [Hollins], and I'm going to keep playing Reichle," Wayne Tinkle said. "Those are tough kids that can do some things."