Oregon State men hit 14 three-pointers as Beavers end a 5-game slide

CORVALLIS — Oregon State’s men’s basketball team rode a hot-shooting start to end a five-game losing streak and defeat Vermont 80-58 Wednesday night in Gill Coliseum.

Josiah Lake II led the Beavers (4-5) with 18 points, Dez White added 15, and Oregon State shot 14-for-28 from three to cruise past the Catamounts (5-5).

Malcolm Christie had 12 points, all on three-pointers, and forward Olavi Suutela scored 11 points to give the Beavers four players in double figures.

Oregon State’s five straight losses included a rivalry game at Oregon, three games in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Saturday at home against unbeaten Cal Baptist.

“I’m super proud of what we’ve fought through as a team early in the season to put a performance like this out there,” said. Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle. “Just a whole different level of intensity and communication defensively. And then actually looking like were organized offensively was nice to see.”

This season Oregon State has struggled early offensively, shooting less than 40% from the field in first half of games. On Wednesday, the Beavers reversed the trend and shot 54% in the first half, including 7-for-13 from three.

“This was as close to a full 40-minute game as we’ve had this year,” Tinkle said. “I’m really proud of the way the guys responded.”

Five different Beavers hit threes in the first half. White scored on a pull-up in the lane and a step-back three off a screen, and Christie hit back-to-back threes to cap a 15-4 run that put OSU in control up 24-8 with 11:29 left in the first half.

“We took mostly good (shots) tonight and shot at a high clip,” White said. “I think that’s just a testament to how good we can be offensively if we just stay in between the lines of what we do.”

While the Oregon State offense clicked, its defense locked down. The Catamounts shot 31% in the opening period, and the Beavers led 42-24 at the half.

“We have to hang our hat on the defensive end, and I thought tonight we did that for a large portion,” Tinkle said.

OSU led by as many as 25 points before the Catamounts tried to mount a comeback with a 14-2 run to cut the deficit to 64-51.

Lake II made a reverse layup and a floater, and White knocked down a jumper and a catch-and-shoot three as the Beavers outscored Vermont 16-7 down the stretch.

Oregon State will play its third game of a five-game home stand at 2 p.m. Saturday against Southern Utah.

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Read the original article on oregonlive.com.