Thompson Jr. Sinks Utes Second Year In A Row

Sunday, February 19

Corvallis, OR

5:30 PM

Oregon State

5-23, 1-14

Utah

17-10, 8-7

Utah

Oregon State

Stephen Thompson Jr. scored 24 of his 31 points in the second half to lead OSU to the comeback victory.

Photo by: Dave Nishitani/Oregon State Athletics

February 19, 2017 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score

By: Oregon State Communications

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Stephen Thompson Jr. scored the deciding points against Utah for the second season in a row on Sunday as the Beavers rallied for a thrilling 68-67 victory before a crowd of 5,186 at Gill Coliseum.

Thompson Jr. swished a contested shot from the right side of the lane with 10.3 seconds remaining to give the Beavers – who had trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half – a 68-67 lead, their first and only of the second half. OSU forced a turnover with 3.1 second to play and then closed out its first victory since Dec. 21, 2016, snapping a 14-game tailspin.

"We are happy to get a win against a good, well-coached team," OSU coach Wayne Tinkle said. "I'm happy for the guys, they deserve a little success after all they have battled through."

The decisive possession began after Utah was unable to in-bound the ball with a 67-66 lead with 27 seconds to play. With about 15 seconds left, Thompson got the ball on the left wing, drove the left side of lane, pivoted to his right and dropped home a right-handed shot from about five feet.

Utah then turned the ball over with 3.1 seconds to play. OSU sophomore Gligorije Rakocevic missed two free throws with 2.6 seconds remaining, but Utah had no time outs left and a desperation 70-foot heave by Kyle Kuzma was not close.

"Seeing us finally get a W goes a long way for our confidence as we finish out the season," said Thompson Jr., who had 24 second-half points and 14 points in the final 4:53.

"I was picking my spots and not trying to force things," he said. "We did a good job of moving the ball, everybody found each other, and we stayed positive after they got ahead."

Thompson Jr. finished with a career-high 31 points, as he was 11 of 17 from the field, 5 of 9 on 3-pointers and 4-for-4 from the line. His previous career high of 30 points came at Utah earlier this season.

He also had last-second heroics against the Utes in 2016, as he made three free throws after time had expired for a 71-69 win at Gill Coliseum. He has scored 83 points in four games against the Utes, a 20.8-point average.

Sophomore center Drew Eubanks added 12 points, six blocked shots and three steals. Redshirt freshman guard Kendal Manuel bounced back from a scoreless game against Colorado on Thursday with eight points, four assists and five rebounds, tied for the team lead.

The Beavers led by 10 (16-6) at one point in the first half but Utah rallied to assume a 28-24 halftime edge. It eventually led 54-41 with 9:52 to play, but Manuel hit a 3-pointer and the Beavers began their comeback.

OSU still trailed 63-54 with 3:23 left. But they drew within 63-60 at 2:17 on two Thompson Jr. free throws, to within 64-63 on a 3-ball by Thompson Jr. at 1:37, and even at 64 on a JaQuori McLaughlin free throw with 53 seconds remaining.

Kuzma hit a 3-pointer to send Utah ahead 67-64 with 35 seconds left, but Thompson Jr. scored on a drive to cut it to 67-66 with 27 seconds to play. Utah then could not inbound the ball, setting up the flying finish.

OSU shot 57 percent (16-28) in the second half and closed the game on a 14-4 run in the closing 3:03. McLaughlin had four assists, Thompson Jr. and Manuel three apiece.

The Beavers resume Pac-12 action at Stanford at 8 p.m. Wednesday in a game that will be televised by EPNU. They conclude the road portion of the regular season at California at 7 p.m. Friday in a game that will be televised by FS1.

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