Oregon State
Chicago State
Beavers Dominate Chicago State, 92-66, For Best Start In 22 Years
December 21, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2011
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
CHICAGO, ILL. - Oregon State ran past Chicago State, 92-66, on Wednesday night at the Jones Convocation Center to conclude its non-conference slate with a 10-2 record, its best start since 1989-90 when the Beavers last advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
"I know people are going to talk about the last time we went 10-2 was the last time we went to the NCAA Tournament, but we can't get ahead of ourselves," Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson said. "We have been a one day at a time team all season long and we are going to continue that."
Five Oregon State players scored in double-figures for the second time in a game this season with Devon Collier's 19 points leading the way. Roberto Nelson (16), Jared Cunningham (15), Ahmad Starks (13) and Angus Brandt (10) also reached double-digits.
Starks, who made his return to his hometown of Chicago, set career-highs with six rebounds and eight assists and knocked down three three-pointers in the first half to give the Beavers a comfortable 50-24 lead at the break.
"I always say it's not possible for a guy to come home and have a good game, but Ahmad proved me wrong on that one," Robinson said. "He had a terrific game and with the amount of work that he has put in, he deserved to have a good game."
Oregon State, the Pac-12 leader in scoring, has scored at least 90 points in four consecutive games, the first time they have done that since the 1980-81 season. The Beavers have eight of their 10 wins this season by 20 points or more.
Joe Burton had a team-high 11 rebounds and eight points, while Eric Moreland had five rebounds and three blocked shots and Rhys Murphy knocked down two three-pointers to finish with six points.
"I couldn't be happier with our non-conference record, but we really don't have time to enjoy it," Robinson said. "We need to get right into our conference preparations, but I want our guys to know how proud I am of how they handled this non-conference schedule because even I didn't think we'd be 10-2. So it's nice but we don't have time to enjoy it."
The Beavers open Pac-12 Conference play at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29 against Washington in Seattle before traveling across state to play Washington State on New Year's Eve in Spokane. Both games will be televised live on ROOT Sports.
Pac-12 home action begins Thursday, Jan. 5 with California visiting Gill Coliseum, a game that will not be televised or have live video due to conference regulations. Tickets can be purchased online at osubeavers.com, by calling 1-800-GO-BEAVS or visiting the Gill Coliseum ticket office during business hours.
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