Jarod Lucas scored 24 points and Oregon State snapped a 10-game losing streak with an 83-61 nonconference rout of Nicholls State on Tuesday night in Corvallis, Ore.
Warith Alatishe added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Beavers (2-10), who won their season opener Nov. 9 against Portland State. Their losing skid saw them drop three one-possession games in a row as well as a couple of Pac-12 contests and a game at No. 9 Iowa State.
On Tuesday, Dashawn Davis contributed 12 points and six assists as Oregon State connected on 53.6 percent of its field goal attempts and collected 20 fast-break points. That more than made up for 16 turnovers.
Ty Gordon pumped in a game-high 26 points for the Colonels (8-5), going 6 of 14 from the 3-point line. But he didn’t have much help as Nicholls, which nearly upset No. 24 Wisconsin last week, hit just 36.9 percent from the field and coughed up 17 turnovers that led to 18 points.
Manny Littles contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Colonels, whose three other starters managed just 12 points total.
The Beavers wasted little time putting their stamp on the game. They led for all but 45 seconds, taking the lead for good at the 18:25 mark, on the first of Lucas’ four 3-pointers. From there, they steadily built the lead against a team that could win the Southland Conference.
Roman Silva’s jump hook at the 12:52 mark put Oregon State ahead by 10 for the first time at 15-5. The margin stayed in double figures for the last 30:06 as the Beavers continued to convert point-blank chances at the rim.
A three-point play by Lucas with a minute remaining before halftime gave Oregon State a 41-25 advantage at intermission. Alatishe scored in transition just over four minutes into the second half to push the cushion to 50-29.
The margin reached 27 points later in the game.
–Field Level Media