Corvallis, OR – Utah and Oregon State squared off from Gill Coliseum in a Pac-12 conference match-up. Oregon State controlled the game, leading over 39 minutes, as they employed an active man-to-man defense to earn a 88-76 win, their first conference win of the season. The Beavers were led by the game’s high scorer, Jarod Lucas, with 25 points (7-13 FG, 2-5 3FG, 9-11 FT). Lucas scored 14 in the first half, and added six rebounds in the game. With the victory Wayne Tinkle became the third most winning coach in Oregon State history (116) trailing only Naismith Hall of Famer’s Slats Gill (599) and Ralph Miller (359).
The first half was played up-tempo by both teams. Utah was hurt early by their 11 turnovers which Oregon State scoring 14 points off of by applying an aggressive man-to-man defense with solid communication. Oregon State led 47-38 at the half and had six players with five or more points while shooting 62.5 percent from the field. They scored 20 of their 47 points in the paint. The Utes stayed in the game early with solid play from guards David Jenkins Jr. (13 halftime points) and Marco Anthony who scored seven of his 10 points (4-9 FG, 2-2 3FG,) in the half. Anthony had a solid game rebounding with six and passing with five assists. 
Dashawn Davis played a very strong and aggressive first half attacking the paint at will on way to recording 11 of his 13 points (5-8 FG, 3-3 FT), while also adding five rebounds, eight assists, and two steals for the game. All five of Oregon State’s starters reached double figures for the game with Warith Alatishe (16 points) and Dexter Akanno (10 points) playing well on both sides of the floor. The interior play of 7-1 senior center Roman Silva was a force all evening for the Beavers as he contributed 12 (6-8 FG) of the Beavers’ 40 points in the paint to go along with six rebounds, three blocks, and one steal in 25 minutes of play.
The Utes did win one phase of the game outscoring the Beavers bench 34-12. They were led by 6-1 senior guard Jenkins Jr.’s 22 points (5-10 FG, 5-8 3FG, 7-9 FT). His three-pointer with 11:22 remaining in the game would bring Utah as close as they would come (63-60) the rest of the way. He added four rebounds and one steal. Both Gach also contributed nine points, five assists and two rebounds off the bench.
Key Game Stats
Field Goal %: Oregon State 55.7 (34-61) – Utah 43.1 (25-58)
Points from Turnovers: Oregon State 23 – Utah 8
Points in Paint: Oregon State 40 – Utah 24
Lead Time: Oregon State 39:08 – Utah 00:11
Oregon State (3-10, 1-2) hosts Sac State (4-6, 0-3) on January 3rd at 3pm while Utah (8-5, 1-2) travels to face Oregon (7-6, 0-2) on January 1st at 7:30pm.
This article was written by Lorenzo Leaks, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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