Thompson Jr. scores 24, Oregon St. beats Colorado 76-57
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) – Stephen Thompson Jr. scored 22 of his 24 points in the second half and Oregon State cruised to a 76-57 win over Colorado on Friday night in the Pac-12 opener for both teams.
Tres Tinkle had 23 points, six assists and three steals and Ethan Thompson added 14 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Beavers (9-4).
Tyler Bey scored 14 points and McKinley Wright IV added seven points, six rebounds and six assists for the Buffaloes (8-5), who have lost four of their last five.
Oregon State shot 51.9 percent, compared to 34.5 percent for Colorado.
The Beavers forced four turnovers early, and jumped out to an 8-0 lead after a Tinkle slam. The Beavers’ first four field goals were dunks.
Colorado briefly led 23-22 after a 9-1 run, capped by two Dominique Collier free throws. But Oregon State went on a 10-0 surge to close the half, with Tinkle and Ethan Thompson doing all the scoring.
Oregon State pushed the lead to as many as 23 points during the second half, with Stephen Thompson Jr. leading the way. The junior guard leaked out for lay-ups, carved through the lane for floaters and hit three 3-pointers.
BIG PICTURE
Colorado: The Buffaloes last true road win was a 60-52 victory over Oregon State in Gill Coliseum on Feb. 16, 2017. . Wright, a freshman, had scored in double figures in every game of his college career and entered Friday leading the team averaging 17 points and 4.7 assists per game.
Oregon State: The Beavers won their sixth straight at Gill Coliseum. . Center Drew Eubanks finished with seven points, nine rebounds and six blocks. Eubanks shares the school’s single-game blocks record (seven).
