Corvallis, OR – Tres Tinkle notched his third double-double of the young season with 27 points and 11 rebounds to lead Oregon State (4-1) to a 78-67 win over UC Santa Barbara (1-3) Wednesday night at Gill Coliseum. He was helped by 16 points from a resurgent Ethan Thompson. UCSB’a 6-9, 235-pound sophomore Amadou Sow cane into the game averaging 15 points and nine rebounds but was held to a relatively ineffective 14 points on 4-of-12 shooting but did grab 11 rebounds.
The game was close early but the Beavers pulled out to a seven-point lead (34-27) at the half as Tinkle had 13 points and nine rebounds. Oregon State pulled away early in the second half and had a 20-point lead with 13 minutes remaining. UCSB did get the margin down to 66-55 with five minutes left but could only get the deficit to 77-67 on a late Matt Freeman three-pointer.
Tinkle has continued to improve in his time in Corvallis. The 6-7 senior came into the contest second in the Pac-12 in scoring (21.5), third in rebounding (10.0) and seventh in assists (4.8). He’s improved his athleticism some and makes up for what his lacks in that department with basketball smarts. He’s also improved his handle some. Tinkle is now shooting 11-of-24 from distance (45.8percent) vs. a career 32.4 percent mark coming into the season. He seems more comfortable and accurate shooting from deep, but the true test will come as the Beavers face stronger competition.
Thompson had an off-night shooting from distance (0-4) and also was 0-of-3 from the charity stripe but was deadly from mid-range and at the hoop (8-of-8). He was more under control tonight (2 turnovers in 37 minutes) and tended to make the right decisions. The Beavers received a boost from 7-1 junior transfer center Roman Silva who scored six points at the hoop and grabbed four rebounds in 11 minutes. 7-0 senior center Kylor Kelley blocked six shots to go along with six points. 6-6 junior Alfred Hollins scored all his 13 points in the second half to help the Beavers to the win.
UCSB’s Sow and 6-3 senior Max Heidegger, both named to the Preseason All-Big West team, didn’t show their best. Sow is athletic, competes on the boards and shows some ability to step out for mid-range and three-point shots. He had two dunks off rebounds and connected on a three-pointer but was only 2-of-8 at halftime and most of his production came after the game was decided. With his size and athleticism he’s someone to monitor moving forward. Heidegger, normally a good three-point shooter, only connected on 2-of-9 from distance and 4-of-14 overall as he scored 13 points. The Gauchos could have made it a game if Sow and Heidegger player up to form. 6-10 Oklahoma transfer Freeman, also added 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting mainly from mid and long range.
Oregon State will host Grambling on November 23rd as they continue a fairly unimpressive non-conference slate. UCSB heads home to a three-game stand against relatively weak competition (Menlo College, Portland State and Grambling).
This article was written by Carl Berman, Managing Partner of NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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