No. 9 WSU Rallies to Defeat Oregon State, 58-54

Marcel Jones had 16 points for the Beavers.

Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS - By: The Associated Press

Courtesy: OSU Athletics

Mac Hopson's jumper with 35.5 seconds to go put Washington State ahead for good and the No. 9 Cougars held off Oregon State, 58-54, on Saturday night at Gill Coliseum.

Washington State (23-5, 12-4 Pac-10), which trailed by as many as eight points in the second half, pulled ahead when Aron Baynes scored eight straight points to give the Cougars a 47-45 lead.

The Beavers stayed in the game, and tied it at 54 on Wesley Washington's layup with 1:02 left.

The Cougars took back the lead on Hopson's jumper.

After Oregon State's Josh Tarver missed a 3-point attempt, Baynes made a pair of free throws with 8.7 seconds left.

Baynes led the Cougars with 14 points.

Oregon State (11-19, 3-14) was coming off a 73-65 victory over Washington on Thursday.

The Beavers' only conference victories have come against the Huskies and Arizona State.

Marcel Jones had 16 points for the Beavers, who had won eight straight against the Cougars at Gill Coliseum.

The 273 meetings between the two teams are the fourth-most between a pair of teams in NCAA Division I.

The Beavers took an early 10-3 lead on Tarver's 3-pointer and kept it for much of the first half.

The Cougars narrowed it to 24-23 on Robbie Cowgill's layup.

After Kyle Jeffers made one of two free throws, Washington State's Ivory Clark tied it at 25 with a jumper.

But the Cougars could not get the lead, and Jones' layup extended the Beavers' advantage to 32-27 at the break.

Jones led all scorers with 12 points at the half.

Tarver's layup early in the second put the Beavers ahead 37-29, their biggest lead of the game so far.

After trailing 45-38 midway through the second half, the Cougars tied it at 45 when Baynes hit three straight baskets and added a free throw.

He added two more free throws to give Washington State its first lead of the game.

The last Cougar win at Gill was 1998. Washington State defeated the Beavers 70-55 earlier this season in Pullman.

ADDITIONAL GAME NOTES

OSU’s five-point lead at halftime was notable on several fronts.

It was only the third time WSU had trailed at the half during a Pac-10 game, and the Cougars’ largest deficit in those three games.

WSU improved to 7-1 overall when trailing at halftime this year.

On OSU’s side, it was only the fifth time the Beavers led at halftime in a Pac-10 game this season (2-3).

The five-point lead tied their biggest lead at the half. OSU fell to 9-3 overall when leading at halftime.

WSU committed only six turnovers, the first time this season the Beavers didn’t force at least 10.

OSU only committed eight turnovers, their second-fewest of the season.

Playing in his final home game, Kyle Jeffers (10 rebounds) reached double-figures in boards for the fifth time this season.

QUOTES FROM OSU COACH JAY JOHN

“Whether people believe where we are or not, that’s their choice to take what they want. Our program is not that far away.”

“I give all the credit to Washington State for everything they have been able to do this year.”

“No one will ever convince me that if we don’t make our free throws, we win the game. We are at home; we should be able to convert free throws in our house.”

“Aron Baynes changed their entire team, elevated their entire team, to this victory. Other guys did what they do, but Baynes won the game. Aron Baynes is a big strong guy. We gave him deep touches, which was a problem, and that got his confidence going. He is the reason Washington State won the game.”

“They are a good team. We are a good team, but we still have work to do.”

QUOTES FROM OSU CENTER KYLE JEFFERS

“We played hard, and I felt everyone gave it their all. There were a lot of things we needed to take care of, but we didn’t, and it caught up with us in the end.”

“Aron Baynes got the best of us in the second half, and us not being able to sink our free throws is the reason we lost by four points.”

QUOTES FROM WSU COACH TONY BENNETT

“I think in the second half we played some very good hard nosed basketball. Tournament-type basketball, because it was very physical, we were a little more patient on defense, and toughened up. In the first half they were getting lanes and penetration that caused some trouble.”

“Aron [Baynes], at the end of last year you saw he was capable of rebounding and posting up. I think when he gets good position and you can get it to him deep enough, his size is too much of an issue, no matter how big you are, because he is so powerful.”

QUOTES FROM WSU CENTER ARON BAYNES

(on where this came from) “I don’t know. Every time I get on the floor I just put it all out there. Tonight the guys found me and I was lucky enough to make some of the plays and knock down a few free throws.”

“When I got the ball I was trying to go up strong. My mentality was to dunk, because I knew I would have to put up with them on the spot. They would either have to foul me or let me go up through.”

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