Thompson's game-winner lifts Oregon State by Utah

[February 20, 2017]  Stephen Thompson Jr. scored the winning basket with 11 seconds to play to help Oregon State end its 15-game losing streak with a 68-67 victory over Utah in a Pac-12 Conference game Sunday at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore.

Thompson scored 31 points for Oregon State (5-23, 1-14 Pac-12), which won for the first time since Dec. 21. Drew Eubanks added 12 points for the Beavers.

Kyle Kuzma had 19 points and nine rebounds for Utah (17-10, 8-7). David Collette had 13 points.

The Utes led by four with two minutes remaining, but the Beavers got within one on a 3-pointer by Thompson and tied the game on a free throw by Jaquori McLaughlin. The Utes went up 67-64 on a 3-pointer by Kuzma, but the Beavers prevailed after getting two clutch baskets from Thompson in the final 28 seconds.

Oregon State jumped out to an early 16-6 advantage. Utah battled back, mounting a 14-2 run to take a 20-18 lead on a jumper by Devon Daniels.

The Utes went up 24-20 on a dunk by Collette and extended their lead to six on a 3-pointer by Kuzma. They led 28-24 at the break.

Utah took an eight-point lead following baskets by Daniels and JoJo Zamora early in the second half. The Utes went up by 10 on a layup by Lorenzo Bonam. They led 51-38 following a 3-pointer by Gabe Bealer, but the Beavers later staged a 9-2 run to get within six on a jumper by Gligorije Rakocevic.

The Utes briefly regained a double-digit lead on a layup by Kuzma, but Thompson answered with a 3-pointer. The Beavers trailed by eight with just over three minutes remaining, but they cut the deficit to three following a basket by Eubanks and two sets of free throws by Thompson, setting the stage for an exciting finish.

[© 2017 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2017 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.