Oregon State
USC
Beavers Race Past USC, 78-59, In Front Of Oregon State Legend
January 21, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 22, 2012
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CORVALLIS, Ore. - In front of a packed house of 7,537 fans, including Oregon State legend Gary Payton, Jared Cunningham scored a game-high 18 points and Joe Burton added 11 points and nine rebounds off the bench to help the Beavers trounce USC, 78-59, on Saturday night at Gill Coliseum.
"First of all, this was an important weekend," Oregon State head coach Craig Robinson said. "I think I said in here on Thursday that Thursday was the most important game since I have been here, but this is the most important weekend. Getting back into the mix with our confidence was really important, and I thought we did that tonight and it started with Thursday. Finally getting a chance to sweep (UCLA and USC) was important, but more importantly, it was great to get it done here at home with a great number of fans and with Gary Payton in the house. It was just a perfect storm and I am really happy for my team."
Payton watched the Beavers play a brand of basketball he enjoyed during his time in Corvallis, as they used an efficient offense and a smothering defense en route to their largest margin of victory over the Trojans in the last 24 years. Oregon State had 18 assists on their 30 made baskets and converted 18 USC offensive miscues into 21 points at the other end.
With Oregon State trailing by three just over five minutes into the game, Cunningham drained a three to knot the game at eight and promptly stole the ball at the other end to set up a fast-break dunk and give the Beavers a 10-8 lead, which they would never surrender.
That sequence sparked a 13-0 run in the next three minutes to balloon Oregon State's lead to 10. The advantage would grow to as large at 19 in the first half (35-16) when Angus Brandt swiped the Trojans' Daniel Munoz and Challe Barton dished a beautiful pass to Devon Collier for another breakaway jam with 1:08 to go before intermission.
The Beavers dominated in almost every statistical category on the evening. They outscored USC in the paint (40-28), on the break (16-6) and in second-chance buckets (16-4). Oregon State's second unit also destroyed their counterparts from Southern California, pouring in 25 points to the Trojans' eight.
The second half saw Oregon State maintain its edge, eventually grabbing a 21-point lead on three separate occasions, before closing out USC for the team's 13th victory of the season and third in Pac-12 play.
A stout defensive effort, especially on the glass, gave the Beavers a slew of additional offensive opportunities of which they took full advantage. Oregon State finished with nine more rebounds, its largest margin in a Pac-12 game this season, including a 15-6 edge on the offensive boards. That effort forced a solid defensive USC squad to give up its most points in a game this season.
Eric Moreland was extremely active and set the tone for the Beavers on the defensive end. He pulled down a team and game-high 11 rebounds, swatted two shots and had a career-high three steals in 24 minutes of action.
"He is continually getting better," Robinson said of his freshman. "There is a lot of stuff he doesn't know, but his sheer will to work harder than other people has gotten him on the court. That is a hard-working kid ... (who) is always out there giving it his all. I am happy for him and I know the team is happy for him, and it just gives us another weapon."
The 19-point win was the Beavers' largest over USC since they beat the Trojans by 27 (84-57) on Feb. 4, 1988 and gave the team its first sweep of the LA schools since the 2004-05 season.
Payton was introduced early in the game to a standing ovation and spent most of the game signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. He also met with the media before the game and did a halftime interview with Mike Parker on Beaver Sports Radio Network.
Oregon State will look for its first three-game conference winning streak in three years when its heads to Eugene to take on the Ducks for a matchup in the Civil War Series, presented by the Northwest Ford Dealers and PacificSource Health Plans, next Sunday, Jan. 29. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and the game will be televised nationally on FSN and regionally on ROOT Sports.
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