Oregon State aims to stop skid, hosts UC Davis

Field Level Media|published: Wed 29th November, 22:00 2023

Nov 24, 2023; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Oregon State Beavers guard Dexter Akanno (4) and Pittsburgh Panthers forward Guillermo Diaz Graham (25) at Barclay Center. credits: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon State looks to stomp out a three-game losing streak when it faces UC Davis on Thursday night at Corvallis, Ore.

The Beavers (3-3) have lost by an average of 20.7 points during their skid. They fell by 21 points to Nebraska, 16 to Baylor and 25 to Pitt.

Before the season, Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said he prefers playing teams like the aforementioned trio instead of lining up the schedule with cupcakes.

"You can't schedule 20-plus wins anymore like you used to be able to," Tinkle said at Pac-12 media day. "I'm not afraid of taking lumps early ... in preparation for what's ahead."

The Beavers shot just 32.7 percent from the field and were a porous 2 of 21 from 3-point range in the 76-51 loss to the Panthers on Friday. They established a season-low for points in the contest, which was the third-place game of the NIT Season Tip-Off in New York.

Dexter Akanno led Oregon State with 12 points, Jordan Pope scored 11 and Tyler Bilodeau had 10. The three were a combined 1 of 13 from behind the arc.

Pope leads the Beavers with a 17.7 scoring average. Bilodeau is averaging 13.2 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds, and Akanno chips in with 11.7 points per game.

UC Davis (3-2) will be trying to notch another victory in Corvallis. Two seasons ago, the Aggies posted a 71-64 victory over Oregon State to even the series at one win apiece.

This time around, UC Davis is coming off Sunday's 69-63 home loss to nearby Sacramento State.

Elijah Pepper scored 22 points, and Ty Johnson added 21 for the Aggies.

UC Davis forced 22 turnovers in defeat, and coach Jim Les pointed out that his club didn't take advantage of the 16 it forced in the first half. The Aggies led just 29-26 despite Sacramento State's many miscues.

"When the other guys have 16 turnovers in a half and you only score 29 points, it's not a good sign," Les told The Davis Enterprise. "We just didn't finish plays in transition, and then they hit 53 percent of their shots in the second half and that's not something that's going to be successful for us."

Pepper leads the Aggies in scoring at 22.8 points per game. Johnson is averaging 14.4 points.

—Field Level Media

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