Freshman Jordan Pope scored 19 points as Oregon State rallied from a 19-point deficit to defeat Tulsa 73-70 on Monday night in Corvallis, Ore., giving the Beavers their first victory of calendar year 2022.
It was the season opener for each team.
Dexter Akanno scored 18 points and Glenn Taylor Jr. added 16 for the Beavers, who snapped an 18-game losing streak. Oregon State’s last win was 88-76 over visiting Utah on Dec. 30, 2021.
Sam Griffin scored a career-high 29 points for the Golden Hurricane, who were making their debut under coach Eric Konkol. Bryant Selebangue added 15 points and nine rebounds, and Brandon Betson, a transfer from Chicago State, scored 13 points.
Tulsa led 44-28 at the half, in large part because it made 7 of 14 3-point attempts while Oregon State went 1-for-9.
But the Beavers opened the second half with a 14-0 run to pull within two, making four 3-pointers in as many attempts.
Trailing 59-55 with 6:57 left, Pope was fouled on a drive to the basket by Tulsa’s Sterling Gaston-Chapman, who also drew a technical on the play. Pope made the two technical free throws and two more for the personal foul to cap an 8-0 run and tie the score.
The teams traded the lead until Akanno made two free throws with 3:01 left and Pope scored on a driving layup following a blocked shot on the defensive end to give the Beavers some breathing room.
The Golden Hurricane overcame an early seven-point deficit, taking the lead with a 15-0 run led by Griffin, who had a three-point play and a 3-pointer.
Tulsa extended the lead to 41-22 with 2:45 left in the half.
The Beavers shot 50 percent from the field (25 of 50) while Tulsa shot 36.4 percent (24 of 66). The Beavers had a 10-0 edge in blocked shots.
–Field Level Media