A career-high 25 points and 11 rebounds from sharpshooting, French wing Isaiah Sy propelled Oregon State men’s basketball to a 76-70 win over Loyola Marymount on Wednesday night at Gill Coliseum.
The Beavers (10-10, 3-4 WCC) also got 21 points from Josiah Lake II in a foul-fest that saw both teams shoot a combined 56 free throws at a 95% clip.
The Lions (11-9, 2-5 WCC) were led by Myron Amey Jr. with 18 points and Rodney Brown Jr. with 17. OSU scored 17 points off LMU’s 15 turnovers.
Despite a poor shooting first half, OSU kept it close with LMU through the first 20 minutes. Brown was hot in the early going, however, scoring 10 quick points to give the Lions an 18-13 lead.
The Beavers were able to stay in the game by getting to the free throw line, hitting 14 of its 14 attempts in the first half. LMU was also perfect from the stripe in the half, going 11-11.
The Lions committed eight turnovers to OSU’s four in the first half, and after taking a 24-17 at one point, the turnover issue allowed Wayne Tinkle’s team to come back.
OSU retook the lead, 30-29, on a three-pointer by Sy with three minutes left in the half. By the break, it was 37-36 LMU, with OSU shooting just 29% to LMU’s 44%.
Sy came out with back-to-back buckets to open the second half, hoping to energize his team as it took a 41-37 lead. A swished three-pointer by Lake made it 44-37, getting the Gill Coliseum crowd on its feet and forcing an LMU timeout.
OSU rode the momentum and kept forcing turnovers, leading to another three-pointer by Sy to make it 53-42 around the 14 minute mark. The positive energy extended to the OSU bench during a 7-0 run for the Beavers as they surpassed their season-high in steals with 10.
Sy surpassed his career-high with a fifth three-pointer just as LMU was making a run, extending OSU’s lead to 57-46 with just over 10 minutes remaining.
LMU stormed back over a three-minute period, though, going on a 13-3 run to cut the OSU lead to just one.
A full-court press stymied the rhythm of OSU’s offense, and LMU retook the lead, 59-58, with just over six minutes left.
The teams traded baskets with the score swinging back and forth, and Johan Munch fouled out for OSU on an illegal screen with 3:39 remaining. Two free throws by Sy gave OSU the lead back, 65-63, shortly after.
Trailing by four, Amey missed a three for LMU with just over 90 seconds remaining, and OSU milked the clock as much as it could.
LMU’s five-minute scoreless streak snapped with a corner three-pointer by Brown, cutting it to 68-66 with 50 seconds left.
But Jorge Diaz Graham and Sy hit their free throws down the stretch, and OSU was able to hang on for the win.
Next game: Oregon State (10-10, 3-4 WCC) vs. Pacific (12-8, 3-4 WCC)
- When: Saturday, Jan. 17
- Time: 3:00 pm PT
- Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis
- Stream: ESPN+
