Cavaliers test Oregon State in final exhibition date
BOX SCORE
CORVALLIS, Ore.—Capturing their first lead with just 13 minutes left in the game, Oregon State University upended a spirited Concordia University squad 104-94 in an exhibition men's basketball game held at Gill Coliseum on Tuesday.
With 94 points, Concordia (3-1) has now averaged 90.0 points per game in its six combined games this season. The Cavs will return to regular-season action on Wednesday when it returns to Portland to face Multnomah University in another road contest.
Any shot of Concordia sneaking up on teams this year might have gone out the window on Tuesday night, as the Cavaliers, picked to finish seventh in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, hit the first bucket of the game on a
Thomas Pierce (Gary, Ind./Roosevelt H.S.) jumper and never trailed in the first half of play against the members of Pac 12.
Willy Ligon (Corona, Calif./Centennial H.S.) connected on 4-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc in the first half, including one at the 9:27 mark to give the Cavs its largest lead of the half with the score 23-15.
With eight of the points coming from Roberto Nelson, including a 3-pointer in the final seconds, the Beavers returned to knot the game at 43-43 before the break.
After scoring 12 in the first half,
Adam Herman (Vancouver, Wash./Prairie H.S.) added six quick points to start the second to recapture an eight-point advantage (53-45) with 16:09 to play. Forcing a pair of key turnovers, Oregon State rallied again with a nine-point run, capped by a Nelson layup with 13 minutes remaining to give OSU its first lead of the night.
Down but not out, Herman punctuated a Cavalier spree with a mid-ranged jumper to recapture a lead at 69-67, but the remaining nine minutes belonged to the Beavers as OSU scored nine straight to take the lead for good.
Herman free throws kept the Cavs to within four points (86-82) with four minutes remaining only to see the Beavers eventually secure a 10-point advantage in the final minute at 99-89 before the finish with the same margin.
"We are certainly disappointed we didn't get it all the way tonight, but we can take a lot from this game. I was extremely pleased how we boxed out and crashed the boards against a bigger opponent and we had great hustle which led to a number of second-effort points," CU head coach
Brad Barbarick said.
Nelson finished the friendly with a game-high 36 points, just two ahead of Herman's 34-point tally. Ligon added 24, Pierce 16 and
Tyler Velasquez (Colorado Springs, Colo./Doherty H.S.) 14 as four Cavaliers reached double figures. Herman finished the night with nine rebounds, one shy of posting a 'double-double'.
"We did a good job of pushing the ball but still executing our offense tonight," Barbarick said. "Scoring 30-plus points against a Pac 12 team tells you just how talented Adam (Herman) is and Willy (Ligon) gave us a huge spark," Barbarick said.
Hitting 22-of-32 (68.8 percent) in the second half, Oregon State finished with a considerate advantage in overall shooting percentage, 57.8-to-47.2. Concordia outrebounded Oregon State 41-to-36 while both teams committed 15 turnovers.