CORVALLIS – Gritty Samford hit 12 three-pointers, and held off a late Oregon State charge as the Bulldogs scored a 78-77 upset Thursday night in Gill Coliseum.
Samford, No. 253 in the KenPom.com national rankings and a 13-point underdog to the Beavers, led for most of the game and by as many as 10 points.
The game came down to the last play, as Oregon State (1-3) had the ball under its basket with 6.8 seconds remaining. An errant inbounds pass caused Dashawn Davis to chase down the ball, resulting in a wild missed shot at the buzzer.
Warith Alatishe scored 20 points and Ahmad Rand 15 to lead Oregon State. Dashawn Davis had 11 points, nine assists and six rebounds for the Beavers.
Oregon State shot just 4 of 19 from three-point range.
Ques Glover led Samford (3-1) with 16 points.
Samford led 42-32 at halftime after the Bulldogs hit 7 of 12 three-pointers and never trailed for the opening 20 minutes.
It was a terrible half all the way around for Oregon State. The Beavers didn’t defend much of anything, and Samford made them pay, hitting 15 of 26 shots. OSU had trouble consistently getting good shots, as Jarod Lucas and Alatishe were the only players to score more than one first-half basket.
Samford scored the first five points of the half and never trailed. Oregon State got to within one point at 24-23 on a jumper by Lucas, but a few minutes later, the Samford lead was nine.
Oregon State figured out a few things during the break and immediately jumped Sanford. The Beavers started the second half with a 9-0 run, and would have had the lead if not for a missed dunk by Rand. But Sanford regrouped and scored seven consecutive points to maintain control of the lead.
Oregon State charged again, getting to within 54-52 on a three-point play by Alatishe. Sanford then held OSU scoreless for nearly three minutes, and rebuilt the lead to 64-56 with 8:18 remaining.
The Beavers, playing much better in the second half, got back in it by heading inside. Rand and Davis had a pair of layups, and a soft dunk by Alatishe cut the deficit to 69-68 with 3:35 left.
With 2:25 remaining, OSU took its first lead of the game at 73-71 on a three-point play by Alatishe, capping a 9-2 run.
With the score tied at 73, Gianni Hunt made a backcourt steal and fed Alatishe for a dunk. But Samford immediately responded, as Cooper Kaifes hit a three-pointer for a 76-75 lead with 1:21 left.
Samford had chances to put the game away during the final 30 seconds, but committed two backcourt turnovers to give the Beavers a chance.
Oregon State returns to action Sunday to play Princeton. The game tips off at noon.
--Nick Daschel | [email protected] | @nickdaschel