CORVALLIS, Ore. –Tres Tinkle had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, and Oregon State won their season opener 72-59 over UC Riverside on Tuesday night at Gill Coliseum.
Stephen Thompson Jr. added 18 points and Ethan Thompson had 17 for the Beavers, who came out sluggish in the second half but rallied to lead by as many as 17. Oregon State improved to 5-0 in season openers under head coach Wayne Tinkle.
Oregon State returned all of its key players except Drew Eubanks, who is currently on a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs. Senior Gligorije Rakocevicstarted in his spot against the Highlanders and had 12 points and four rebounds.
The Beavers' victory spoiled David Patrick's debut as head coach for UC Riverside. Patrick was an assistant at TCU the past two seasons.
Dikymbe Martin led the Highlanders with 20 points. Martin, one of six returning Riverside players, averaged 13.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists last season. The Highlanders went 9-22 overall last season and 4-12 in the Big West.
The Beavers finished 16-16 last season, 7-11 in conference play. Tres Tinkle, the coach's son, is the conference's top returning scorer with an average of 17.6 points per game. He also averaged 7.2 rebounds.
The Beavers used a 9-0 run to take an early 13-3 lead. Stephen Thompson's jumper in the paint put Oregon State ahead 23-13. But the Highlanders went on a 14-5 run to narrow the Beavers' lead to 28-27 at the half. Martin led all scorers with 13 points.
Martin's jumper early in the second have gave Riverside a 32-31 lead. But the Highlanders couldn't separate themselves much and the Beavers responded with a 14-0 run to go up 47-35 on Stephen Thompson's consecutive 3-pointers.
Tinkle's 3-pointer extended the lead to 56-43 with just under eight minutes left as the Beavers took control down the stretch.
Last edited:
