CORVALLIS, Ore. — Gary Payton II scored 10 points and had four steals to lead Oregon State to a 55-42 victory over Oral Roberts on Friday night.
Olaf Shaftenaar added 12 points for the Beavers (3-0), who took control in the second half.
Bobby Word had 11 points for the Golden Eagles (1-2) while Korey Billbury added 10.
Oral Roberts started off cold, and the Golden Eagles finally scored with a Billbury layup at the 13:38 mark, when they trailed 10-2. That basket started a 15-3 run by the Golden Eagles, who took a 15-13 lead on a Word 3-pointer with 6:11 left in the half.
Oral Roberts led 20-18 at the break, despite shooting 16.7 percent but going 13 of 18 from the free throw line.
The Beavers went on a 12-0 run to open the second half. A Malcolm Duvivier to Payton alley-oop dunk made the score 30-20 with 15:51 remaining.
Payton is the son of former Oregon State All-American Gary Payton, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Trailing by 10 with more than 6 minutes left, the Golden Eagles went to the full court press, forcing the Beavers into three straight turnovers and trimming the lead to 42-37 with 5:26 remaining.
Oregon State was able to hold off Oral Roberts, despite Payton fouling out with 2:22 remaining.
Obi Emegano came into the game leading the Golden Eagles with 28 points per game. He had seven points and six rebounds on Friday, a year to the day after he suffered a season-ending knee injury against Saint Louis.
TIP INS
Oral Roberts coach Scott Sutton remains 12 wins away from his 300th victory. . The Golden Eagles averaged nearly 40 foul shots per contest in their first two games.
Oregon State started 3-0 for the first time since 2001-02. . The Beavers don’t have a senior on the roster for just the third time since 1950.
UP NEXT
Oregon State plays Monday against Oklahoma State in Las Vegas as part of the MGM Grand Main Event.
Oral Roberts also is in the event, and plays Louisiana on Tuesday
