Long Beach State rallies to beat Oregon State 71-67
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Evan Payne scored 19 points and Long Beach State rallied in the final minutes to beat hosts Oregon State 71-67 in the Dam City Classic at the Moda Center on Friday night.
Stephen Thompson Jr. and Drew Eubanks had 17 points apiece for the Beavers, who have lost four straight.
Oregon State (3-8) led by as many as seven points in the second half, but Jordan Griffin’s 3-pointer tied it at 52 before Justin Bibbins hit a pair of free throws to give the 49ers (3-10) the lead with 4:06 left.
JaQuori McLaughlin’s layup got the Beavers within 62-61, but Gabe Levin got a basket and a free throw with 1:31 to go. After Ben Kone’s 3-pointer pulled Oregon State within a point, Levin again answered with a layup to keep the 49ers in front 67-64.
The two sides traded free throws before Thompson went to the line for Oregon State, making the first free throw and missing the second. He was unable to make the rebound and Roschon Prince closed with free throws for the final margin.
In the Dam City opening game earlier Friday, Portland defeated South Dakota 85-82 on Gabe Taylor’s 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left. Portland plays Oregon State in the final game on Sunday.
Both teams struggled to hit shots at the start, and eight minutes in Long Beach State led by 4-2. Halfway into the first half, the 49ers led 8-4. Combined the teams had 12 turnovers through the first 10 minutes.
The offense picked up as the game went on. McLaughlin’s 3-pointer gave the Beavers a 22-16 lead with 3:51 left, and Oregon State led 29-25 at the break.
Payne led the 49ers with 10 points at the break. Payne was named Big West Player of the Week last week after scoring 26 points in a 71-65 loss at Texas last Saturday, and 17 points in a victory over Pepperdine earlier in the week.
Payne hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull Long Beach State into a 33-all tie, but Thompson answered with his own 3 to keep the Beavers in front. Oregon State stretched the lead to 48-41 on Drew Eubank’s hook shot.
