CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State Coach Wayne Tinkle said that in the aftermath of a loss, he had a “little chat” with Gary Payton II about being more aggressive offensively and more of a leader.
Message received, loud and clear.
Payton had 24 points, four steals and a school-record seven blocks as Oregon State defeated Colorado 72-58 on Saturday night.
“I always listen to him when we have those talks. I try to bring energy and leadership,” Payton said. “I wasn’t myself the last game here, and I just have to get back to what I do best and run around and just facilitate and help the team.”
Malcolm Duvivier scored 17 points and Daniel Gomis added 10 points and four blocks for the Beavers (17-10, 8-7 Pac-12), who snapped a three-game losing streak.
Xavier Johnson had 12 points and nine rebounds and Tre’Shaun Fletcher scored 11 for Colorado (12-14, 5-9), which has one road win on the season.
“We just didn’t have that fight, that competitiveness,” said Colorado Coach Tad Boyle.
Oregon State shot 48.9 percent for the game, compared to the Buffaloes’ 34.6 percent. Colorado also had 22 turnovers.
Thanks to Oregon State’s zone defense, Colorado started the game ice cold, shooting 1 of 16. “We came out with a lot of energy at game time and I think it sparked a really good run,” Duvivier said.
“That defense in the first half was some of the best defense we’ve played all year,” Tinkle added.
The Beavers took an 18-4 lead after Duvivier’s 3-pointer with 8:52 left in the half.
Payton’s 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer put Oregon State ahead 34-12.
Colorado trailed big most of the second half. Johnson capped a 15-4 run with a 3-pointer for the Buffaloes that made the score 54-46 with 3:45 left. The Beavers had four turnovers during the stretch.
“We started pressing, we started getting aggressive,” Boyle said.
Duvivier responded with a 3-pointer on Oregon State’s next possession.
Payton, a junior college transfer, is the son of NBA and Beavers great Gary Payton.
Askia Booker entered the contest leading the Buffaloes with 17.4 points per game. Shadowed by Payton much of the night, he had nine points on 2-for-14 shooting.
TIP INS
Colorado: The Buffaloes have lost five of their last six games. … Josh Scott needs three blocks to become the fifth player in Colorado history with 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 100 blocks.
Oregon State: The Beavers saw their school-record 14-game home winning streak snapped in a 47-37 loss to No. 9 Utah on Thursday. … The Beavers Pac-10 champion 1989-90 squad was honored during halftime, including the elder Payton, who was named Sports Illustrated player of the year that season.
GRAND THEFT BASKETBALL
Gary Payton II is the only player in the Pac-12 with a steal in every game this season. Entering the game, he was ranked third in the nation with 2.96 steals per game. His father is the Pac-12’s career steals leader.
WINNING SEASON
The win guaranteed Oregon State its third winning season since 1989-90. The victory also gave the Beavers 15 home wins this season, the team’s most ever.
UP NEXT
Colorado hosts Arizona on Thursday.
Oregon State plays at Stanford on Thursday.
