Eubanks leads Oregon State past Long Beach State, 89-81 (Nov 18, 2017)
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) Drew Eubanks said he knew there wasn't anyone long enough or strong enough to bang down low with him.
''My teammates put me in a good position and I just finished at the rim,'' he said.
Eubanks had 26 points and 11 rebounds as Oregon State held on to defeat Long Beach State 89-81 on Saturday night.
Tres Tinkle added 20 points, including three 3-pointers, but also had seven turnovers, and Stephen Thompson Jr. scored 17 for the Beavers (2-1).
Bryan Alberts had 19 points and Barry Ogalue scored 17 for the 49ers (2-1).
Oregon State repeatedly fed the ball down low to Eubanks to let the center take advantage of the smaller 49ers.
The Beavers had 46 points in the paint compared to 28 for Long Beach State.
''Big boy was a load down inside. They didn't have an answer for him,'' Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said.
Long Beach State coach Dan Monson said that the team was missing its main center, Temidayo Yussuf, a preseason all-Big West Conference pick who is recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery in September.
''He's due back any time. He's doing some non-contact stuff now,'' said Monson, who added that he didn't want to risk rushing the big man back to the court.
Oregon State led 40-31 at the break, and had a comfortable cushion much of the second half.
The 49ers cut the lead to 81-76, however, after an Edon Maxhuni 3-pointer, Gabe Levin steal and Ogalue lay-up with 1:27 left.
Tinkle was fouled on the next possession but missed both free throws, and Ogalue was fouled on a drive and sank both for the 49ers to make the score 81-78 with a minute left.
Thompson responded with a hard drive to the left and layup with 38 seconds remaining. A Deishuan Booker 3-pointer missed for Long Beach State, the Beavers rebounded and were able to secure the win.
The Beavers and 49ers played last December in Portland and Long Beach State prevailed 71-67.
Both teams will be at the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando over the extended Thanksgiving holiday, and there's a chance they match up against each other again.
BIG PICTURE
Long Beach State: Ogalue averaged 17.5 points in the 49ers' first two games, while Alberts, a Gonzaga transfer, averaged 13.5 points. . Maxhuni scored 16 points on Saturday.
Oregon State: Eubanks is shooting 18 for 26 from the field this season. The junior finished fourth in the Pac-12 in field goal percentage his sophomore season (.587) and his freshman season (.580).
ROUGH PATCH: Both teams struggled through the middle of the first half. The Beavers went nearly six minutes without scoring but retained the lead. ''Ten stops in a row, and I think we scored two points in that stretch,'' Monson said.
A YEAR WISER: Wayne Tinkle told his players that a year ago, they probably would have lost Saturday's game. ''I was really proud of them for hanging in there and making the plays to close it out at the end,'' he added.
UP NEXT
Long Beach State plays at West Virginia on Monday.
Oregon State plays St. John's on Thanksgiving in the AdvoCare Invitational in Orlando.
