3/19/2021 basketball Edit

Oregon State Upsets Tennessee 70-56, Wins First Tournament Game Since 1982

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

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It's taken 39 years, but the Oregon State men's basketball team is victorious in the NCAA Tournament once again.

Not since the likes of A.C. Green have the Beavers tasted victory in college basketball's biggest event, but that all changed Friday afternoon in Indianapolis with a 70-56 upset victory over Tennessee.

"Super proud of our guys," head coach Wayne Tinkle said. "We knew we had something special happening, and they were very confident heading into this game. Our defense has really carried us, and we shot the ball well, and we got contributions from a lot of different guys. A great win for the Beavers and Beaver Nation."

The Beavers (18-12) came into the contest against the Volunteers (18-9) as a 12-seed playing a five-seed, but it's almost as if the seeding was reversed with who was the dominant team throughout.

From the opening tip, the Beavers were surgical in attacking the Volunteers on both ends of the floor.

It started with an aggressive and tenacious defense that completely threw UT out of rhythm for the majority of the first half and set the tone for the game as they shot just 25% from the floor and were held to a season-low 19-points. The Beavers, on the other hand, built a 14-point halftime lead (33-19) on 45% shooting.

Offensively, the Beavers knew they had a mismatch down low with the 7-foot-1, 265-pound senior center Roman Silva and they exploited it all night.

"Roman was big time. He's done that for us, and we know he's got an advantage in there," Tinkle said. "We rifle it to him, and he's going to catch it, and he's going to score it."

Silva, who was equal parts patient and aggressive on the block all game long, finished with a career-high 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting.

"It feels great to be able to give this to Beaver Nation," Silva said. "They stuck with us through some tough times this season and we appreciate all the love they've given us. At the same time, we're not done yet."

While the Volunteers were able to put together a much-stronger second-half that forced the Beavers to sweat a bit, OSU never surrendered its double-digit lead and was able to hold on for the win.

For the contest, Oregon State shot 48% from the floor and behind-the-arc while Tennessee was limited to just 33% from the floor and 19% from three.

While Silva was the straw that stirred the Beavers' offense, balanced production was the order of the day as four Beavers (including Silva) reached double-figure scoring. Jarod Lucas had 14 points, Ethan Thompson had 13, and Zach Reichle had 10.

Thompson also added a team-high 10 rebounds and six assists while Lucas had six rebounds and Reichle had six rebounds and four assists. Warith Alatishe added nine boards.

While the Beavers accomplished an incredible feat by winning its first tournament game in nearly four decades, Tinkle and Co. aren't satisfied.

"There wasn't a bunch of over-exuberance in the locker room. They were excited for one another, but their focus is to keep this thing rolling," Tinkle said. We're proud of the team. We're happy for Beaver Nation, and it's been a heck of a run, but we want to do our best to keep things going."