Corvallis, OR – The Portland Pilots battled inner state foe Oregon State for the ninth time ever. This game was full of exciting plays with nine lead changes. Portland was able to withstand all the blows dealt in the second half to escape with an 87-86 road overtime victory. It was the Beavers’ third loss of the season and second straight loss at home.
6-5 senior guard Ethan Thompson, who leads Oregon State in scoring (18.4 pg) and assists (3.6 pg) scored a career-high 31 points (9-17 FG, 3-6 3PT, 10-12 FT) in the loss. He is doing a solid job of playing physical, getting to the free-throw line (6.6 attempts per game) while making key shots. Thompson would hit a three-pointer with one second remaining in the game to inch the Beavers closer at 86-85.
The game started with a competitive flow as Portland went out to a 36-29 halftime lead behind the solid play from Ahmed Ali and Eddie Davis who each scored 13 points. Thompson led OSU with eight points with the Beavers shooting only 36 percent at the break.
Michael Henn rebounded solidly for the Pilots in the game with eight, in addition to his eight points. The 5-11 senior point guard Ali, one of the fastest players on the court this evening, was just two points shy of his career-high registering 26 points (8-15 FG, 4-8 3 FG, 6-7 FT) in addition to six rebounds and four assists. He played solid in both halves orchestrating the Portland’s offense. He hit the biggest shot of the game, a long three-pointer over the outstretched hands of a defender giving the Pilots an 86-82 lead with 14 seconds remaining in overtime.
At the 17:31 mark of the second half Thompson went to the bench with his third personal foul. Oregon State needing someone to step up. That’s when 6-10 junior forward Maurice Calloo would score 11 of his 18 points (7-12 FG, 4 3FG, 2-2 FT) to help carry the team until Thompson’s return. Calloo is a stretch big with decent shooting touch and size. He also contributed five rebounds and one assist. Oregon State built its largest lead of the game at 62-54 with 5:59 remaining in the game and would lead for 24 of the 40 minutes. However, Portland would not go away as they erased the deficit to force overtime.
In the overtime Portland outscored the Beavers 16-15. The tie was at 80-80 with 57 seconds to go when 6-6 junior forward Eddie Davis converted on a basket as he was fouled and made the free throw. That gave Portland an 83-80 lead which they would not relinquish. Davis finished with 22 aggressive points (9-17 FG, 4-4 FT). 6-3 slashing junior guard Isaiah Dasher scored 16 of his 18 points (6-11 FG, 1-3 3FG, 5-7 FT) in the second half. He also added three rebounds and three assists. He was strong attacking the basket with his quick aggressive physical play.
For Oregon State, 6-3 shooting guard Jarod Lucas played hard, contributing some outside shooting to score 14 points (4-12 FG, 3-7 3FG, 3-3 FT) and added three rebounds.
KEY GAME STATS
Field Goal Shooting: Portland 46% (30-65) – OSU 41% (30-73)
Points in the Paint: Portland 44 – OSU 36
Total Rebounds: Portland 44 – OSU 37
Fast Break Points: Portland 9 – OSU 7
Oregon State (2-3) next hosts UTSA (2-2) on December 16th at 2 pm while Portland (4-1) hosts Montana State (1-1) on December 22nd at Noon.
This article was written by Lorenzo Leaks, a scout and correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
We are looking for those interested in our basketball scout apprenticeship program. For information contact us and forward your resume.
