Manuel leads Oregon State past Kent State, 69-50 (Dec 21, 2016)
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said that he challenged his team at halftime to come out of the locker room and play with some toughness.
''We just basically said, `Let's man up and get after it,''' Tinkle said.
Kendal Manuel had 17 points with four 3-pointers on Wednesday night as Oregon State broke open a close game in the second half to beat Kent State 69-50.
The game was back-and-forth for much of the second half, but the Beavers went on an 18-0 run, capped by a vicious Drew Eubanks dunk, to take a 60-42 lead with 4:27 remaining.
JaQuori McLaughlin had 14 points and eight assists and Eubanks added 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks for the Beavers (4-9), who snapped a five-game losing streak.
''This was really big for us and we're just going to keep building and building on it,'' Manuel said.
Jimmy Hall had 14 points and a career-high 19 rebounds and Deon Edwin had 12 points for the Golden Flashes (7-5).
Kent State coach Rob Senderoff said the second-half surge made the difference for Oregon State. ''They got some easy baskets, we turned it over a couple times and missed some. They did a good job defending us for that period of time, and then it just snowballed for us,'' he added.
Kent State outrebounded Oregon State 49-39, including a 34-10 advantage in offensive boards, but the Golden Flashes only shot 27.6 percent from the field, 1 for 24 on 3-pointers, and 39 percent on free throws.
The Beavers shot 54.3 percent from the field, 8 for 15 from long range and 64.7 percent at the line.
Oregon State led 27-26 at the break thanks to a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by McLaughlin.
BIG PICTURE
Kent State: The Golden Flashes entered the game second in the nation with 16.3 offensive rebounds per game. . Desmond Ridenour had 11 points and five steals on Wednesday.
Oregon State: Leading scorer Tres Tinkle missed his seventh straight game. . Second-leading scorer Stephen Thompson Jr. has been mired in a shooting slump and has made just 34.4 percent of his shots in his last six games. On Wednesday, he went 3 for 13, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
OFFENSIVE BOARDS
Senderoff said that his team focuses on offensive rebounds, but he couldn't recall a game in which the Golden Flashes grabbed so many. ''We missed so many shots here, there's a lot to get,'' he added. Hall alone had 14 offensive rebounds.
FAN SUPPORT
This season has been marred by injuries for Oregon State, but Tinkle asked Beaver Nation to hang in there.
''We know we've got a young group,'' he said. ''Boy, they're going to turn into something, so we really appreciate the loyal support.''
UP NEXT
Kent State hosts Texas on Tuesday. The Longhorns are 5-5, but were ranked No. 21 in the AP preseason poll and picked to finish third in the Big 12.
Oregon State hosts undefeated No. 23 Southern California next Wednesday for the Pac-12 opener for both teams.
