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orvallis, OR- Oregon State and USC squared off for the second time this season after the Beavers nearly pulled off an upset in Los Angeles in a 63-62 loss. Both teams were coming off losses on Thursday and were looking to refocus, prepare, and compete in an expected tough game.
The contest started out very slow with bad shooting, turnovers, etc. as neither team shot particularly well for the entire game (Beavers 32.1% – USC 31.3%). However both squads played with good energy and effort which led to Oregon State securing a 61-58 victory in front of 3,796 fans at Gill Coliseum.
The outstanding second half play of 6-6 sophomore forward Glenn Taylor propelled the Beavers to the win as he scored 14 of his 18 points (7-15 FG, 4-4 FT) in the half. His determination would not let Oregon State lose, as he displayed passion, solid energy, aggressive play and attacked consistently. He added 10 rebounds, two steals and one assist. The high scorer for the game was USC’s NBA Draft prospect, 7-1 freshman forward Vincent Iwuchukwu with 19 points (5-10 FG, 9-9 FT.) He did a really good job using his height, size, and athleticism to draw fouls all afternoon, and more impressively making all his free throw attempts displaying good form and touch. He has a bright upside. 
Oregon State took their first lead of the game (12-10) after 6-5 junior guard Dexter Akkano completed a three-point play as he was fouled on a dunk. His efforts would continue like that scoring all of his six points (2-7 FG, 1-5 3FG, 1-1 FT) in this period, as he contributed to his team’s 30-25 halftime lead. USC 6-6 sophomore guard Kobe Johnson, second in steals (2.16) & FT (86%) in the conference scored six of his nine points (4-11 FG, 0-3 3FG, 1-2 FT) before intermission. He has a quick reaction, an athletic burst, and great anticipation on plays which is an asset to any club. Johnson also contributed two steals, two blocks, and five rebounds.
USC outscored the Beavers 33-31 in the second half. One of the factors in the game was the 20-3 bench point differential, which Oregon State’s 6-9 senior forward Dzmitry Ryuny scored nine, making 3 of 4 three pointers to stretch the floor, create spacing, while also displaying a skillset to use the dribble as a facilitator in his 23 minutes of play.
Oregon State played solid defense closing out this game while holding 6-3 senior guard Boogie Ellis, the conference 3rd leading scorer (16.6 ppg) to just nine points (2-9 FG, 1-7 3FG, 4-5 FT) on a not so good shooting day. Ellis also missed the potential game tying 3-pointer with :03 remaining. He still played very tough grabbing eight rebounds. USC’s 6-9 guard Drew Peterson is a very versatile player with a strong drive to the basket and finished with 11 points (5-12 FG, 1-1 FT), eight rebounds, two assists, and one steal.
For the Beavers 6-2 freshman guard Jordan Pope continues to increase his stock with solid play as he scored 16 points (6-14FG, 2-6 3FG, 2-3 FT) with a 3-0 assist/turnover ratio in this game. He made big free throws with:19 seconds remaining in the game to give Oregon State the three point lead (61-58). Pope is coming off back-to-back Pac-12 Freshman of the Week awards in the month He has entered into potential conference freshman of the year conversations.
Key Game Stats
Lead Time: Oregon State 23:55 – USC 13:59
Bench Points: Oregon State 20 – USC 3
2nd Chance Points: Oregon State 17 – USC 6
3-Field Goal: Oregon State 29% (6-21) – USC 7% (1-14)
Oregon State (10-16, 4-11) will travel to play Washington State (11-15, 6-9) on Feb.16th at 8 pm, while USC (17-8, 9-5) hosts Cal (3-22, 2-12) on Thursday.
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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