Payton II's first double-double sparks Beavers

Las Vegas, Nev. – Junior guard Gary Payton II had his first career double-double on Wednesday but Oregon State fell 71-69 to Auburn in the consolation game of the MGM Grand Main Event Heavyweight bracket at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Payton II hit 8 of 11 shots from the field and posted career-highs with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He was 2-for-4 from behind the arc and added three assists, a steal a block and had only one turnover in an outstanding all-around performance.

“He is starting to mature and starting to understand where his opportunities are,” OSU coach Wayne Tinkle said of Payton, who played 38 minutes despite being hindered by a cold.

Junior forward Olaf Schaftenaar added 13 points and three assists, junior guard Langston Morris-Walker had 10 points and sophomore guard Malcolm Duvivier had 12 points and three assists in a balanced offensive attack.

“We had our chances, we took a lead, we squandered it but battled back,” Tinkle said. “It’s frustrating; it would have been such a big win with how hard we fought.

“We were still right there in the end. The little things are still costing us opportunities and the players said in the locker room, ‘We have to start minding those things.’

“I am proud of the way we battled but it’s a game we feel we should have won. There is a focus we have to get to every single day. They are playing their hearts out but if we can get more dialed in we will beat teams we’re not supposed to beat.

“We have to keep battling. We showed some growth. We found out our guys didn’t mail it in and we showed toughness.”

The Beavers (3-2) tied the back-and-forth game 61-61 with 3:59 remaining on two Schaftenaar free throws. But Auburn’s KT Harrell hit a 3-pointer and then added a layup for five straight points for a 66-61 advantage with 2:47 remaining and OSU had to play catch-up the rest of the way.

The Beavers drew with 66-63 on a bucket by Victor Robbins with 2:17 left and got two stops, but they missed on both opportunities to draw closer. Auburn then hit 5 of 6 free throws in the final 48 seconds to offset 3-pointers by Schaftenaar and Duvivier in the final 10 seconds that brought OSU within 69-66 and 71-69, respectively.

OSU shot 50 percent (26-52) from the field and outrebounded the Tigers 30-24. However, they were outscored 22-11 from the foul line as Auburn (3-2) capitalized on a 32-17 advantage in attempts.

The Beavers stormed back from a 41-35 halftime deficit to surge ahead 54-50 when a 6-0 run capped off a 13-3 run, sparked in part by five points from Jarmal Reid off the bench. Auburn replied with a 5-0 run of its own to go back in front 55-54 and it was close the rest of the way.

Auburn used a 13-5 tear over the final 5:14 of the first half to take a 41-35 lead at the intermission. OSU led 30-28 after a Payton II dunk, but the Tigers answered with nine unanswered points to surge ahead 37-30.

Payton II had 14 points, four rebounds and a blocked shot to lead the Beavers in the first half. Duvivier added seven points, Schaftenaar six.

The Beavers host Mississippi Valley State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at 9 p.m. Wednesday at Gill Coliseum in their next game. The game will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.

Oregon State is offering an exclusive #Commit2Wayne ticket plan that provides fans with season tickets for a flat $199 (tickets were $364 last season). The price will gradually step up the following seasons ($249, $299, $349) but remain affordable, and there is no obligation to commit to all four years.

Season tickets will be $349 next year and beyond for fans who do not take advantage of this unique opportunity this year. Fans can secure their season tickets for a $25 deposit by calling 800-GO-BEAVS or visiting beavertickets.com.