CORVALLIS It took some time for Oregon State to acclimate to its first personnel obstacle, which occurred Thursday night.
However, the Beavers defeated Pepperdine 83-63 at Gill Coliseum after figuring out how to play without big man Parsa Fallah in the second half.
Early in the second half, the Beavers fell behind, but they quickly overtook the Waves with a barrage of three-pointers. In order to win the second half, OSU made seven three-pointers and shot 73%.
To lead the Beavers (15-6, 5-3 WCC), Michael Rataj hit 4 of 4 from three-point range and scored 16 of his team-high 22 points in the second half. Damarco Minor scored 13 points and Liutauras Lelevicius scored 12 for Oregon State, while Nate Kingz scored 20 points and made four three-pointers.
Due to concussion protocol, Fallah, the Beavers’ second-leading scorer this season, was unable to play. Wayne Tinkle, the coach of OSU, stated that he might make a comeback on Saturday against Santa Clara.
Fallah’s absence seemed to matter for a little more than twenty minutes. The Beavers scored on almost every possession over a 12-minute run after that, but it didn’t.
According to Tinkle, the Beavers’ overemphasis on their responsibilities and lack of consideration for passing the ball contributed to the offense’s seeming disarray.
We never ran zone offense like that before, as far as I can tell. Tinkle remarked that it felt like we were playing keep-away. They really picked it up in the second half.
This was Kingz’s third 20-point effort in four games, which has provided a boost lately. Kingz is shooting 56% and 11 of 21 from three-point range during this four-game run.
“I’m being set up to get wide open by my teammates,” Kingz stated. I’m preparing myself by jogging, going out in transition, strong cuts, and coming off screens. Even the smallest things have been helpful to me.
Over the last four games, Kingz’s 11 of 21 shooting from three is essentially a continuation of his season. With 42 of 85 attempts from beyond the arc, Kingz is shooting close to 50%.
According to Tinkle, Kingz’s reliable form is what distinguishes him from many talented three-point shooters. This season, his scoring hasn’t always been consistent. Against Oregon, he only needed four shots to get two points, and he has scored five points or less in a number of games.
What made Kingz successful? The game.
Tinkle stated, “We’ve discussed him concentrating on defense, grabbing rebounds, and letting the offense come to him.” It’s incredible how committed he has been to it over the past three weeks. We tell all the guys that the strain simply melts off your shoulders when you concentrate on the little, significant things.
The Beavers offense shot 61% (34 of 56) during their recent shooting spree. The Beavers shot better than 56% for the fifth time in their past eight games, and it was their second-highest shooting effort of the season.
Stefan Todorovic led Pepperdine (7-13, 1-6) with 19 points.
Oregon State led 34-29 at the break, but their first 20 minutes were anything but spectacular. After allowing Pepperdine to score the game’s first basket, the Beavers never fell behind, but they were unable to generate enough runs to take the lead.
During a 12-point first half, Kingz made five of seven shots and drained two three-pointers for OSU. Throughout the Beavers’ 13-point first half, Todorovic halted the momentum whenever the Beavers seemed like they were about to lose. With 7:39 remaining, Oregon State was ahead 25-16, but Zion Bethea’s three-pointer with 2:21 left allowed the Waves to close the gap to two points.
Pepperdine took a 36-34 lead after scoring the first seven points of the second half. It was all Oregon State after that. The Beavers went on a 13-2 run to gain control after Kingz made a three-pointer to start the game.
The Beavers had bursts of four, five, and six straight shots in the second half as everything started to click offensively. A few lob passes from Minor to freshman post Maxim Logue for dunks were part of the assault.
Oregon State had a 22-point lead.
The Beavers’ next game is against Santa Clara at Gill Coliseum on Saturday at 3 p.m.
The contact information for Nick Daschel is 360-607-4824, [email protected], or @nickdaschel.
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