Second Half Run Leads Oregon State Past QU Men's Basketball

Monday, December 21

Gill Coliseum - Corvallis, OR

9:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

4-6

Oregon State University

9-2

Quinnipiac

Oregon State

Second Half Run Leads Oregon State Past QU Men's Basketball

12/21/2015 11:17:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State men's basketball team opened up the second half with a 15-0 run to break open a closely-contested game and take an 82-61 win over Quinnipiac on Monday evening at Gill Coliseum.

With the loss, the Bobcats slip to 4-6 on the year with one non-conference game remaining next week at Maine. Oregon State improves to 9-2 on the year with the win, while avenging a 60-52 loss suffered at Quinnipiac last season (although none of the five starters for the Bobcats in that game are back this year).

Junior forward Donovan Smith (Chicago, Ill.) was a bright spot for Quinnipiac with his first career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while freshman guard Andrew Robinson (Takoma Park, Md. - pictured) was in double figures for the first time in his young career with 10 points. Oregon State was led by Tres Tinkle off the bench with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Gary Payton II added 19 points and seven rebounds.

The first half was evenly played, with Oregon State pulling ahead 37-34 on a three-point play from Langston Morris-Walker with 2.3 seconds left on a rebound after the first attempt from the Beavers was blocked by Smith. Robinson had just tied it with a three-pointer from the right wing, giving him eight points for the first half, answering a Morris-Walker three at the other end.

Oregon State would then start the second half with 15 straight points, stretching its run to 18-0 spanning both halves. Tinkle got loose for a pair of transition baskets to fuel the run, as Oregon State finished the game with a 22-0 edge in fast break points.

Quinnipiac finally regrouped as Smith stopped the run with a jumper in the paint, and a three-pointer from senior guard Giovanni McLean (Bronx, N.Y.) got the Bobcats back within 10 points, but Oregon State fended off the run and never let the Bobcats get to within single digits.

The Bobcats managed to win the battle of the boards 46-43, behind the career-best 12 from Smith. Freshman forward Abdulai Bundu (Upper Marlboro, Md.) also chipped in with eight points and five rebounds off the bench, continuing to provide a bench spark for Quinnipiac. The Beavers, though, shot 58.6 percent in the second half after only 39.4 percent in the first to break the game open.

McLean was held to nine points on the night, the first time in his young Quinnipiac career that he was held below double figures. The Bobcats were perfect from the foul line on the night, but only got there eight times, compared to 17-26 for Oregon State.

Quinnipiac will be back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 29, when it travels to Maine for a 7 p.m. contest in its final non-conference game of the year. The Bobcats will then return to MAAC play on January 2 with a home game against preseason conference favorite Iona, which will be televised on Sportsnet New York. For ticket information for the Iona contest and all Quinnipiac home games, contact the TD Bank Sports Center box office at 203-582-3905 or visit QuinnipiacBobcats.com.