While Oregon State has traditionally struggled to win games away from Corvallis under Wayne Tinkle, the Beavers grabbed one at the Jenny Craig Pavilion Saturday against the San Diego Toreros. OSU rallied to pick up a 78-76 overtime result to end their recent stretch of contests in the state of California. The Beavers also won at Loyola Marymount earlier this week.

Johan Munch finished as the Beavers’ leading scorer with 15 points, also adding nine rebounds. Guards Josiah Lake and Dez White also recorded 12 points apiece, with Lake dishing out eight assists and grabbing five rebounds.

In the first half, the difference was free throws. OSU went to the line eight times, making seven. Oregon State’s bigs made a significant impact, with Johan Munch, Olavi Suutela, Noah Amenhauser and Jorge Diaz Graham combining for 19 points. San Diego only took two free throws in the opening 20 minutes. The Beavers managed to take a 30-25 lead into the halftime break.

The second half was equally competitive, with both sides struggling on the offensive end. Neither the Beavs or the Toreros had a second-chance point in the second half. With 1:45 remaining in the second half, Oregon State found themselves down by ten, 59-49. However, the Beavs hit three three-pointers and Munch threw down a dunk to tie the game at 60-60. USD failed to tie the game on the final possession of regulation.

In overtime, the two sides traded punches with Oregon State again taking advantage of frequent trips to the free-throw line. The Beavers made ten of their 16 free-throw attempts in the extra period, but only three field goals. That would be enough to close out a 78-76 win, despite San Diego hitting two three-pointers inside the final 30 seconds.

Oregon State finished with a field goal percentage of 40.3 as they added a slight improvement to their resume to end the month of January.

The win moves Oregon State to 12-12 overall on the season with a record of 5-6 in conference play. The Beavers are 3-5 in road contests this year. They won’t have too much time to soak in the SoCal sunshine before returning home to take on Washington State at 8 p.m. PT on Wednesday, February 4.

More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI

Five years in the making, two long anticipated restaurants, Vulture and its sister diner, Dreamboat, will close in early February, less than a year after they opened in University Heights.

What’s especially notable about the imminent closure is that the venture was a collaboration of two of San Diego’s more prominent — and successful — restaurateurs: Kory Stetina (Kindred and Mothership) and Arsalun Tafazoli, whose hospitality group, CH Projects, is behind numerous projects, including the reinvented Lafayette Hotel and Little Italy standouts Born & Raised and Ironside

Both Stetina and Tafazoli declined to comment on the closure but confirmed that the two vegan-centric restaurants will remain open until Feb. 8. Tafazoli stressed that his participation in the two restaurants is separate and distinct from CH Projects.

Describing the decision to close as “heartbreaking,” the restaurant owners posted a lengthy message on Instagram, speaking of their gratitude for the support they received in creating and sustaining the dual-concept operation.

“High opening and operating costs, combined with the economic realities of today, ultimately made it unsustainable, despite very strong support and real momentum,” the social media post stated. “This chapter is ending far sooner than we ever imagined, and we are deeply grateful for the time, energy, and love these spaces were given. However brief, they burned brightly, and we are proud of what they contributed to our city’s dining culture.”

The post received hundreds of comments from disappointed patrons who lamented the closure and said they would miss more memorable meals.

Making its debut in June of last year, Vulture was designed as an elevated vegan restaurant and cocktail bar that featured fine-dining selections like a tableside Caesar salad for two and a “steak” Diane made from wood-grilled lion’s mane mushrooms. Its much smaller, more casual sister restaurant, Dreamboat, occupies the same building and is a retro vegan diner.

While Stetina and Tafazoli were unwilling to discuss the financial challenges of their joint venture, the project was no doubt impacted by the long delay in opening, in addition to the more than $2.3 million cost of purchasing the two-story building in July 2020, not long after the start of the pandemic. In the years since, food and labor expenses have risen, and consumer behavior has shifted, as fewer people are choosing to dine out.

The building, at 4608-4610 Park Blvd., is currently listed for sale, but the listing shows no asking price, according to CoStar.

Both Stetina and Tafazoli are known for sparing little expense on the design of their restaurants, and Vulture and Dreamboat apparently were no exception. Restaurant broker Nate Benedetto, who was involved in the sale of the building, confirmed that millions of dollars were spent on reinventing the space.

Designed by Brooklyn-based Home Studios, the two dining spots are distinct in size and design. Dreamboat, a micro diner with 10 counter seats, is bright and airy, but just past a velvet curtain, the space quickly transitions to the more moody Vulture. The long, narrow dining room is lined with floral-patterned walls and luxurious carpeting and features oversized head sculptures on pedestals situated above plush booths.

“Vulture/Dreamboat was a super ambitious project, but without meat dishes, I don’t think they had the volume to support the investment that was made,” said Benedetto, founder of Next Wave Commercial. “I don’t think the location was the issue. There’s been a pullback in dining and expensive ticket prices, and it’s hard to translate the vegan steakhouse to drive that investment. They had a fan base but not as devoted as they expected.

“It also definitely took longer than they expected, and it cost them a lot more money carrying all those expenses for several years.”

San Diego schools and businesses joined a nationwide boycott on Friday in protest of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

Students walked out of class at multiple San Diego Unified School District schools, according to the district. A handful of businesses said they are donating proceeds from the day to support immigration advocacy groups.

The National Shutdown, endorsed by groups like 50501, which organized the No Kings protests, called for a day of “no work, no school, no shopping” to protest federal agents’ actions in Minneapolis and around the country.

The owner of Verbatim Books, an independent bookstore in North Park, said they planned to donate the proceeds from Friday’s sales to Border Angels, an immigrant advocacy group that supports people navigating the immigration system.

“We chose to support Border Angels,” Verbatim owner Justine Enitsuj said. “We’re donating all of our proceeds today to them. They do really wonderful work here in San Diego and the whole county. And, they’re just really, a model of, like, you know, just like, positive change. That’s really a big part of their mission statement.”

Enitsuj said that while they weren’t closing for the day, the shop wanted to show support in any way they could.

“This is just a small way that I thought it would be, You know, something we could do,” Enitsuj said.

A handful of other businesses in San Diego are also donating a portion of their proceeds from the day to groups that support immigration rights. Good Omen Coffee, Mielimon Bakery, and Rich’s Nightclub all announced their support in some capacity on Instagram.

And the Mingei Museum in Balboa Park was offering free admission on Friday in honor of the general strike, they said in an Instagram post.

Students at Mira Mesa High walked out in protest Friday, along with multiple other San Diego Unified School District schools, according to district spokesperson James Canning.

“Our principals have guidelines for how our schools handle civil activities such as protests to ensure student voices are able to be voiced while being kept safe,” Canning said in an email.

And local organizers are carrying Friday’s momentum into a day of protest on Saturday.

Sarah Barrett in Mira Mesa said their protests have been growing and that the community wants to show support for the people of Minneapolis and for each other.

“And really, to let people in our community know that people care and that, we want to stand up for what’s right and stand up for what our country should be, not what it currently is,” Barrett said.

Barrett invited anybody who wants to support their cause to join them at the corner of Mira Mesa Blvd. and Westview Parkway on Saturday at 11 a.m. It’s one of multiple protests planned around the county.

“Who knows how much impact today will have. But it’s a statement. It gives people a sense of power,” Barrett said. “And I think when people feel a sense of power, change can happen. It’s the feeling powerless is what they want us to feel. And that’s what takes away our voice.”

Protests are happening nationwide this weekend as Americans continue to speak out against the Trump administration and reject the immigration enforcement operations that have killed multiple people in the past two months.