PORTLAND — Gary Payton II scored 19 points with his famous dad looking on and Oregon State handed Cal State Fullerton its third straight loss with a 82-69 victory on Friday night in the Far West Classic.
Malcolm Duvivier added 15 points and freshman Tre Tinkle had 13 for the Beavers (7-2), who rebounded after their loss at No. 2 Kansas last Saturday. Payton added eight rebounds.
Malcolm Brooks and Khalil Ahmad each had 18 for the Titans (6-3), who trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half.
It was the opening night of the Far West Classic at Portland’s Moda Center, home of the Trail Blazers. Earlier Friday Weber State defeated Portland State 92-82 in overtime. Fullerton will play the Pilots on Saturday, while the Beavers will face Tulsa.
Payton’s dad had a courtside seat for the game. The elder Payton is the most celebrated player in Beavers’ history, and still holds school records for career points (2,172), assists and steals. He is the Pac-12’s all-time leader in assists (938) and steals (321).
A consensus All-American, Payton led the Beavers to their last NCAA tournament appearance in 1990. He went on to an 18-year career in the NBA. Known as “The Glove,” he spent 13 seasons with the Seattle SuperSonics.
The Titans pulled ahead 17-12 after a 3-pointer from Ahmad. But Tinkle, Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle’s son, answered with a long jumper from out front, and Olaf Schaftenaar added a basket to close the Beavers within 17-16.
The Beavers took a 22-21 lead on Duvivier’s 3 pointer and pushed it to 33-24 on Stephen Thompson’s layup and free throw. Oregon State led 44-32 at the break.
Payton hit a layup and a 360 dunk that put the Beavers up 51-34. But Fullerton answered with a 7-0 run to get within 53-43 with 13:59.
Duvivier muscled up for a layup amid a trio of defenders and also got the free throw to put the Beavers up 75-60, and Langston Morris-Walker added a 3-pointer. Cal State Fullerton couldn’t catch up.
The Beavers were coming off an 82-67 loss at No. 2 Kansas last Saturday. Oregon State’s only other loss this season was to Valparaiso.
The Titans have lost two straight, including last Saturday’s 82-70 loss at home to Loyola Marymount. Cal State Fullerton also lost to another Pac-12 team, Washington.
Oregon State pulled in front of the all-time series between the two teams at 2-1 with the win.
The Far West Classic used to be one of the premier holiday basketball tournaments on the West Coast before its demise 19 years ago. The eight-team tournament brought players like the elder Payton, Magic Johnson and John Stockton to Portland.
