Corvallis, OR – Oregon State was in complete control from start to finish in a 91-71 win over Washington. The Beavers, the top team in the Pac-12 in three-point field goal defense (31.1%), held the Huskies to 25 percent (5-of-20) from deep. Oregon State also scored 20 points off Washington’s 14 turnovers. 6-3 Junior guard Jarod Lucas made five three-pointers to lead all scorers with 19 points (6-12 FG, 5-9 3FG, 2-3 FT) to go along with four assists.
The Beavers sprinted out of the starting block with back-to-back three-pointers by Lucas and Ethan Thompson to give them an early 7-0 lead. Oregon State extended the lead to 15 points quickly (21-6) 6-7 junior forward Warith Alatishe had a strong game with 15 points (7-13 FG, 1-2 FT), 11 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocks. Lucas and Zach Reichle had 10 points each at the break, while Oregon State had three other players approaching double figures with seven points (Thompson, Alatishe, Roman Silva) as they went into halftime with a 47-35 lead.
The Huskies were very fortunate to get 36 points from their bench to keep this game from being a blowout. Washington received a big boost in the first half from 6-3 sophomore guard Marcus Tshonis who went on a run scoring 12 quick points (5-7FG, 2-2 3FG) in 12 minutes. He ended the first half on a mid-range pull up as the horn sounded bringing the Huskies within 12 points. He displayed a nice repertoire of moves, shooting touch, quickness as well as the ability to break down his defender to create his own shot. He finished with 22 points (8-13 FG, 2-4 3FG, 4-4 FT), four rebounds, and one assist in 25 minutes of play.
In the second half, it was much of the same for Oregon State. They did a phenomenal job of sharing the basketball to produce 25 assists to only five turnovers. The Beavers had five players reach double figures. 6-5 senior guard Zach Reichle had a career high eight assists to go along with 17 points (4-9 FG, 2-4 3FG, 7-7 FT), and four rebounds. He hit a three-pointer with 14:51 remaining to give Oregon State their largest lead of the game (65-41). 6-5 senior guard Ethan Thompson hit a three-pointer with 6:42 remaining in the game to push the lead back up to 21 points (79-58). The conference’s 8th leading scorer (16.3 ppg) got his season average of 16 points (6-12 FG, 3-7 3FG, 1-1 FT), to go along with seven assists and zero turnovers. He ranks 7th in the conference with a 1.62 assist-to-turnover ratio. 7-1 senior center Roman Silva was very instrumental all evening being effective in the paint with 14 points (6-7 FG, 2-2 FT) and two rebounds in 24 minutes.
Washington’s 6-0 senior guard Quade Green had scored 20+ points six times this season (15.7ppg) had an off-night scoring only two points (1-7 FG, 0-4 3FG), with zero attempts at the free throw line. 6-3 junior transfer (Wichita State) guard Erik Stevenson did some solid things in his 26 minutes of play facilitating, slashing strong to the basket as well as shooting, and competing on defense. He finished with 14 points (5-11 FG, 4-4 FT), two rebounds and two assists. 6-9 senior forward Hameir Wright who also came off the bench to score eight points (3-5 FG, 2-3 3 FG) to go along with four rebounds. Wright runs the floor extremely well, is quick with good length and is not afraid of contact. He ranks 6th all-time on Washington’s shot blocklist at 122.
Key Game Data
3 FG%: Oregon State 46% (11-24) – Washington 25% (5-20)
Assists: Oregon State 25 – Washington 10
Steals: Oregon State 11 – Washington 3
Oregon State (9-7, 5-5) hosts Washington State (11-7, 4-7) on Saturday at 3pm while Washington (3-13, 2-9) travels to Eugene to play Oregon (9-4, 4-3) also on Saturday afternoon.
This article was written by Lorenzo Leaks, a scout and correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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