Mid-Valley Sports

I think it’s a safe bet to say that OSU fans would take a 51-point loss to Seattle University any day if it meant a win over Oregon in Eugene.

As unlikely as it seemed, the Beavers pulled it off. They came into McArthur Court, dictated the pace of the game and led from start to finish.

“Hopefully this can be the last time we can talk about that lose by 50 one,” OSU coach Craig Robinson said. 

“Last year was the first time we got in a position like this and to be quite honest, we you-know-whatted it away. This time we didn’t. We just held on to our guts. We executed and we made our foul shots down the end.”

The Beavers had lost 16 in a row at UO. Not this time. They got back to the type of offensive execution that worked so well last year and played tough defense all game.

“It’s got to be special for those guys because they’ve lost here their whole lives,” Robinson said. “I know the next court’s going to be better and I know that I said earlier in the week that I won’t miss this place, but I guess I might have to retract that. It’s such a great court for basketball. I still view these places as if I’m a player and it’s a great shooting gym. The crowd is great; they’re right on top of you. I think I told some of you guys last year that it reminds me of the Palestra.”

Robinson said he sensed a much stronger effort on the horizon after the Beavers practiced.

“I thought based on our practices that we’d play much better than we did last year,” he said. “I knew from what we had experienced here last year that we would handle their pressure a little bit better.”

Seth Tarver and Daniel Deane had 15 points and Roeland Schaftenaar was sharp all game and finished with 11.

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