CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State’s Tres Tinkle will always take victories over records, but in Thursday’s win over Stanford he could enjoy both accomplishments.
The Beavers’ senior forward scored 23 points to lead Oregon State to a 68-65 win over Stanford, and he became the school’s all-time leading scorer.
Tinkle needed six points entering the game to pass Gary Payton atop Oregon State’s career scoring list with 2,172 points.
“It wouldn’t have meant anything if we didn’t win,” said Tinkle, who now has 2,190 career points, seventh most in Pac-12 history. “That’s how I’m wired. Team first, you wanna win. The rest is just kind of extra.”
Ethan Thompson added 15 points for the Beavers (16-13, 6-11), who snapped a four-game losing streak.
Bryce Wills scored 16 points to lead the Cardinal (20-10, 9-8), whose four-game winning streak came to an end.
Tyrell Terry’s jumper gave the Cardinal a 65-64 advantage with 33 seconds remaining – their first lead since late in the first half.
Tinkle made two free throws with 17.6 seconds left to put Oregon State back on top 66-65.
Terry missed a 15-foot jumper from the right baseline and Tinkle grabbed the rebound and was fouled with four seconds left. He made both ends of the double bonus, extending the lead to 68-65.
Stanford called a timeout after advancing the ball to midcourt with 3.1 seconds on the clock. Isaac White’s 30-foot 3-point attempt bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
“We needed that win to get us in the right direction,” said Tinkle, who was 6 of 15 from the field and 9 of 10 at the foul line. “Hopefully we feed off this and get another one to close the regular season on a high note.”
Oregon State likely needs to win the Pac-12 tournament next week in Las Vegas to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2016.
The Beavers had high expectations this season with a nucleus of Tinkle, Thompson and 7-foot center Kylor Kelley, but inconsistency has been a problem.
“Hopefully from this point forward we can keep the momentum going,” said Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle, who is Tres Tinkle’s dad.
Tinkle’s 3-pointer with 8:45 remaining gave Oregon State its biggest lead at 56-46 with 8:45 remaining.
Stanford closed to 61-58 on Oscar da Silva’s layup with 4:34 left, but the Cardinal’s leading scorer fouled out a minute later.
Jaiden Delaire’s layup brought Stanford within one point at 62-61 with 1:49 left, and the Cardinal grabbed their only lead of the second half on Terry’s jumper.
Tinkle made four clutch free throws in the final 17 seconds to preserve the win and a regular season sweep of Stanford.
“The last dozen minutes I thought we were us, which means defensively we had an identity and we were a little more physical in making plays,” said Stanford coach Jerod Haase, adding “I was impressed with the team for them to come back in the second half.”
A major factor in the game was 3-point shooting. Stanford hit just 3 of 15 shots from long range, while the Beavers converted 8 of 20.
Kelley, who leads the Pac-12 and ranks second nationally in blocked shots, added nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks. Zach Reichle joined Tinkle and Thompson in double figures with 10 points.
Da Silva scored 14 points and was limited to 27 minutes due to foul trouble. Terry scored 13 points and Daejon Davis added 10 points for the Cardinal.
Tinkle scored Oregon State’s final eight points of the first half as the Beavers took a 34-32 at the break. Neither team led by more than five points in the first half.
After a slow start, Tinkle scored 12 first-half points in the final seven minutes.
BIG PICTURE
Stanford: Stanford, considered an NCAA Tournament bubble team, would enhance its credentials with a win at No. 13 Oregon on Saturday. The Cardinal defeated Oregon 70-60 at home Feb. 1. … Stanford’s last appearance in March Madness came in 2014.
Oregon State: Tinkle’s 3-pointer with 2:55 remaining in the first half moved him past Gary Payton as the Beavers’ all-time leading scorer. Payton offered his congratulations at halftime on the Beavers’ video board. … Tinkle now has 2,190 career points and also extended his school record for consecutive double-figure scoring games to 94.
UP NEXT
Stanford will be at No. 13 Oregon on Saturday.
Oregon State hosts California on Saturday.
