Payton leads OSU to win at Rice

HOUSTON, Texas – Oregon State improved to 3-0 for the second year in a row under coach Wayne Tinkle with a 77-69 victory over Rice on Thursday night at Tudor Fieldhouse.

Senior guard Gary Payton II had 19 points, five rebounds, seven assists and six steals to give the Beavers (3-0) a sweep of the home-and-home series with the Owls (0-3). OSU won 67-54 in Corvallis last season in Tinkle's first game at OSU.

Payton was 8-of-11 from the field and hit his only 3-pointer. He now has at least one steal in 34 consecutive games, just three short of the school record of 37 established by his father over the 1989 and 1990 seasons.

Junior guard Malcolm Duvivier added a season-high 14 points on 4-of-7 3-point shooting. Freshman forward Tres Tinkle was 10 of 12 from the line, scored 12 points, and also had six rebounds and two steals.

The Beavers led 44-33 at halftime and broke the game open with an 8-0 run starting the second half. That pushed the lead to 19 (52-33), their largest margin of the night with 16:26 remaining, and they kept the Owls at arm's length the rest of the way.

OSU shot a season-best 52 percent (26-50) from the field and was 10-of-22 from beyond the arc. They also made 15 of 22 free throws and battled to a 29-29 draw on the boards.

The Beavers rallied from an early six-point deficit (18-12) but they broke away from a 27-27 deadlock by outscoring the Owls 15-4 over the final 6:34 to establish their double-digit halftime advantage.

Two Tinkle free throws with 6:34 to play in the half gave the Beavers the permanent lead, 29-27. Tinkle was 7-for-8 from the line off the bench in the first half.

Payton II had 12 points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals in the first half. Duvivier was 3-for-4 on 3-pointers and had 11 points in the first half. Stephen Thompson Jr. also hit two 3-pointers and had eight points.

The Beavers conclude their road trip at UC Santa Barbara at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Their next home game is 6 p.m. Tuesday against the Valparaiso Crusaders of the Horizon League; it will be televised by Pac-12 Networks.

Fans can purchase OSU men's basketball season tickets and single-game tickets by visiting this link or by calling 800-GO-BEAVS. Far West Classic Invite tickets will be included for all season-ticket holders, giving fans a total of 15 more games to watch in Corvallis and Portland during the 2015-16 season.

For Far West Classic Invite tickets and other information, click on this link.