Oregon State Beavers Basketball: Monday Notebook

Following a weekend that saw the Oregon State men's team fall victim to a road sweep and the women's team split at home, BeaversEdge.com examines the top storylines surrounding Wayne Tinkle and Scott Rueck’s squads as they will look to bounce back this week.

Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up now!

RELATED: 5 star SF considering OSU visit | WBB: Beavers drop first Pac-12 game | MBB: Beavers tamed by Wildcats

The Oregon State women’s basketball team suffered its first Pac-12 loss of the season on Sunday as the Beavers (15-3, 5-1 Pac-12) were outdueled by the Arizona State Sun Devils in a double-overtime thriller.

Beavers’ head coach Scott Rueck called the 79-76 loss to the Sun Devils a “phenomenal” basketball game.

“It’s pretty typical of how this series has gone over the years,” Scott Rueck said Sunday afternoon. “This matchup is great competition, and it tends to bring out great performances – we saw that today. Arizona State is a veteran team and they are battle-tested, they played a great game. I’m proud of our team for battling the way we did. I loved the fight that we played with and I loved the crowd. It was a great event to be a part of, I just wish we would’ve found a way to win it.”

While the first loss of the season in Gill Coliseum stings, the Beavers were able to defeat Arizona 86-64 on Friday to secure a split at home.

After starting off Pac-12 play 3-0 and securing wins over Oregon, USC, and UCLA to move to the programs’ best conference start since 1992-93, the Beavers came back to earth in Arizona this past weekend as they dropped a pair of games in close fashion. The Beavers had their opportunities against Arizona State (70-67) and Arizona (81-72) but couldn’t make enough timely shots and get consistent stops on the defensive end needed to close out victories in hostile arenas.

Whether it was falling into a deep hole they were forced to climb out of nearly all game against the Sun Devils (18 point ASU lead early in the second half), or unable to slow down Arizona’s three-point shooters on Saturday (AZ shot 48 percent), the weekend didn’t go as planned for Wayne Tinkle and Co.

1. Stephen Thompson Jr. struggles and so do the Beavers… In what’s becoming more and more of the trend this season, the Oregon State basketball team once again wasn’t able to get victories with senior guard Stephen Thompson Jr. not shooting well. After scoring a combined 51 points in the two wins over USC and UCLA, Thompson Jr. was limited to just nine points against the Sun Devils on 3-of-9 shooting and seven points on 2-of-6 shooting against the Wildcats. Based on what I saw this weekend, it wasn’t Thompson Jr. getting bad looks or going into a slump, it was the fact that both defenses made it a point to limit his ability to get good looks with or without the ball in his hands.

2. Five scorers in the starting lineup… Prior to the series against the Arizona schools, Rueck talked about how important it was for the Beavers that they were starting to get consistent scoring 1-through-5 in the starting lineup and how crucial it would be moving forward with the loss of junior guard Kat Tudor. With point-guard Destiny Slocum and guards Mikayla Pivec and Katie McWilliams all capable of being able to carry the scoring load on a given night, the Beavers were looking for more consistency in the scoring column from forwards Taya Corosdale and Maddie Washington moving forward. The Beavers got that and more this weekend as against Arizona, Corosdale hit a season high four three-pointers en-route to a 14 point, nine rebound day. Against ASU, every OSU starter scored at least 10 points. With Tudor on the shelf, Rueck and the Beavers talked last week about the need to rise up and rise to the occasion in her absence…it’s still a work in progress, but the Beavers have responded quite well.

3. What can’t Tres Tinkle do? Somewhat lost in the Beavers’ unfortunate weekend sweep was the return to form by the 6-foot-8 junior forward. After a 12 point, six rebound, and six assist outing against UCLA in his first game back from injury, Tinkle was back to his dominant form against the Sun Devils and Wildcats, albeit in two losses. Tinkle tallied a 21 point, seven rebound, and six assist line against ASU and 25 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists against UA. While scoring 20+ didn’t translate to victories, mainly because of the lack of scoring help around him, it’s a great sign that he isn’t showing any ill-effects from the ankle-injury sustained against Oregon. Tinkle is the lone player in the Pac-12 ranked in the top-six in points per game (20.4, 1st), rebounds per game (8.4, 5th) and assists per game (4.4, 6th). Whether it was converting unreal and-ones over the weekend, casually tossing lefty floaters off the glass, or pulling up from deep, Tinkle is getting more consistent and more dangerous every night.

1. Beavers are down, but not out… While the trip to Arizona was certainly forgettable for the Beavers, what they do in response is most important. Despite the two close losses, the Beavers still sit fourth in the Pac-12 standings and have a chance to earn a win against one of the conferences’ lower tier teams in Washington State, and a chance to upend the Pac-12 leader in Washington on Saturday. A home sweep would be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Beavers and given how well they’ve played at home this season, I like their chances.

2. A rematch with Washington schools… After opening up Pac-12 play at home with the Washington schools just three weeks ago, the Beavers will finish the regular season series with UW and WSU this weekend. It’s an interesting scheduling quirk that the Beavers play both teams again in the same month, but for Oregon State, responding with strength on the road following an emotional loss to Arizona State will be what’s needed. The Beavers are still working out the kinks of life without Tudor and playing two teams you just saw not too long ago isn’t an easy task, especially on the road. Look for the Beavers to come out strong and ready to go on the road this weekend, just as they did against the L.A. schools two weeks ago.

Following a tough weekend in Arizona, Wayne Tinkle’s Beavers will look to get back on track this weekend against the Washington schools. The Beavers will open the weekend with an 8:00 p.m. tip off against Washington State (8-10, 1-4) and conclude with Saturday 1:00 p.m. tip off with the Pac-12 leading Washington Huskies (14-4, 5-0). Both contests will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.

OSU women’s basketball will headed north for a two-game tilt against Washington and Washington State. The Beavers will play the Huskies (8-11, 1-6) in Seattle at 8:00 p.m. on Friday and will travel to Pullman on Sunday for a 12:00 p.m. tip. Pac-12 Networks will televise both games this weekend.

Stay tuned to BeaversEdge.com this week as we’ll have video interviews with Tinkle, Rueck, and the Beavers as they prepare for their respective matchups.