Oregon State beats Central Connecticut 80-59

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) – Kylor Kelley scored 14 points, all before halftime, grabbed eight boards and had four blocks as Oregon State dominated early and cruised to an 80-59 win over Central Connecticut on Saturday night.

Tres Tinkle added 20 points and eight rebounds and Stephen Thompson Jr. had 17 points for the Beavers (8-4).

Jamir Coleman had 16 points and seven rebounds and Karrington Wallace added nine points and six rebounds for the Blue Devils (6-7).

The Beavers shot 49 percent, compared to 33 percent for the Blue Devils, and outrebounded Central Connecticut 47-28.

Oregon State took control of the game with an early 24-0 surge, capped by a Thompson-to-Kelley alley-oop at the 5:52 mark, to take a 36-10 lead. Central Connecticut missed 14 straight shots during the run.

The Beavers led 50-21 at the break, and led by more than 20 the rest of the game.

BIG PICTURE

Central Connecticut: Kohl, the team’s leading scorer, was coming off a 33-point outburst on just 12 shots in a 93-90 double overtime win over Maine. But he struggled on Saturday, scoring five points on 2-for-13 shooting.

Oregon State: Thompson bounced back from a dreadful 1-16 night in the Beavers’ home loss to Kent State on Dec. 21. He shot 8 for 15 from the floor on Saturday. . Kelley, who came into the game leading the nation with 4.1 blocks per game, was a perfect 6 for 6 on field goals. He made 2 of 3 free throws.

UP NEXT

Central Connecticut hosts Wagner to open Northeast Conference play on Thursday.

Oregon State opens Pac-12 play at Oregon on Jan. 5.