Oregon State loses to Utah, drop to 11th in the Pac-12

No matter who steps up for the Beavers, the rest of the team still can’t seem to find a way to win.

Despite a career-high 15 points from sophomore point guard Challe Barton, Oregon State failed to get anything going on Thursday night in Salt Lake City and fell to Utah, 72-61.

The Beavers only lead of the game came on a senior forward Joe Burton free throw one minute into the game. Utah then went on a 10-2 run and never looked back, taking the eight-point lead and turning it into a 16 point rout midway through the second half.

Although both teams had double-digit turnovers — Utah with 11 and OSU with 15 — the Utes outscored the Beavers 21-5 in points off turnovers. Overall, the game was an offensive anomaly for the Utes, who came into the game as the worst offensive team in the Pac-12. The Utes scored nine more points than their season average.

Going into the game, junior guard Roberto Nelson said that repeating the defensive success the Beavers had against Jason Washburn was key to their success. OSU failed to do that as Washburn finished with 15 points and eight rebounds — a far cry from the two points and six boards he had the last time these two teams met.

Nelson finished with 18 points as the Beavers’ leading scorer in the game making it his 15th straight game reaching double figures.

With the win, Utah moves one game ahead of the Beavers in the conference standings, and Oregon State drops to 11th overall in the Pac-12.

Oregon State will play its final regular season game on Saturday at Colorado. The Pac-12 Tournament seedings will be known Saturday after the completion of all the conference games.

The Daily Barometer
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