SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Oregon State men's basketball team bounced back from a 22-point loss at Colorado in a big way, soundly defeating the University of Utah in Salt Lake City Saturday.
Behind 20 points from Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate Jared Cunningham and a defense that created havoc all afternoon, the Beavers cruised to a 76-58 win over the Utes (5-17, 2-8 Pac-12).
A 13-0 first-half run extended a 16-15 Beaver lead to 29-15, and the game was never in question from there.
Oregon State's defense was as much a presence as it has been all season, forcing 23 Utah turnovers.
Sophomore Devon Collier scored 14 points to join Cunningham in double-figures. Junior Joe Burton finished two points shy of a double-double, scoring eight points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Senior Kevin McShane scored a career-high seven points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting.
The win was Oregon State's first conference regular season win outside the state of Oregon since Feb. 27, 2010. The Beavers defeated Oregon in Eugene one week ago to break a 13-game conference road losing streak.
The win over Utah was also the fourth in five games for the Beavers (15-8, 5-6), who still trail first-place Washington by four games.
Though they sit at eighth in the conference standings with seven games remaining, the Beavers still could very well finish in the conference's top-4, which would assure them of a first round bye in the Pac-12 Tournament. They trail Oregon and Arizona, who are tied for fourth, by two games.
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