Quinnipiac holds off Oregon State 60-52

HAMDEN, Conn. (AP) Zaid Hearst scored 20 of Quinnipiac's 32 first-half points, but it was his defense on Oregon State's leading scorer that caught the eye of his coach.

Gary Payton II, averaging 13.6 points per game, was held scoreless on just three attempts.

''Deny him one pass away, blow up every dribble handoff, blow up every screen, keep him in front of you and don't foul. And he pulled it off today,'' Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said of Hearst's defense.

Hearst finished with 24 points to lead Quinnipiac to a 60-52 win over Oregon State on Sunday.

Hearst did not score in the second half until he hit four straight free throws in the final 20 seconds to help hold off Oregon State.

Evan Conti had nine points after halftime and finished with 14 points for Quinnipiac (5-5).

It was the first time Quinnipiac has ever hosted or beaten a power conference school.

''Just the fact that we were able to host a Pac-12 team speaks volumes of where the program has gone and will hopefully continue to go,'' Moore said.

Olaf Schaftenaar led Oregon State (8-3) with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4 of 6 from 3-point range. Malcolm Duvivier added 10 points.

Oregon State shot 44 percent in the second half, after 35.7 in the first, and got within 53-50 with 2:44 to go. But Duvivier's layup with 23 seconds left was Oregon State's only field goal in the final 2:30.

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Oregon State in its first-ever game in Connecticut.

''We reminded our guys that after the run that we were on, the wins that we were having, that the smallest thing can get things to turn,'' Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. ''We didn't have the same cohesion and the same energy today. It's a valuable lesson for us moving forward.''

Schaftenaar's 3-pointer and Langston Morris-Walker's layup pulled Oregon State within 37-33 with 15:17 left. The teams traded points for the next 12-plus minutes as neither team was able to string together a stop and score on consecutive possessions.

Ousmane Drame's turnaround baseline jumper ended Oregon State's brief 4-0 run and extended Quinnipiac's lead to 55-50 with 1:59 to go.

Drame's block led to Conti's 1-for-2 trip to the line and a 56-50 lead with 37 seconds left.

Oregon State's first five baskets of the game were from 3-point range as the Beavers took an early 15-9 lead. Quinnipiac responded with a 13-2 run, capped by Hearst `s 3-pointer at the 5:54 mark. Hearst scored the final 13 points of the half for Quinnipiac, to Oregon State's 9, for a 32-26 lead at halftime.

Hearst was 5 of 8 from the field in the first half, with three 3-pointers, and hit all seven of his free-throw attempts.

Quinnipiac held a 25-14 advantage on the glass in the first 20 minutes.

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HISTORIC WINS IN COACHING TENURE

''It's gotta be the best.'' Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore said. ''We beat Rhode Island here a couple of years back. If you want to go just in terms of stature of a program, and also how Oregon State is playing.''

BATTLE OF THE BOARDS

Quinnipiac has outrebounded 82 of its last 84 opponents and had a 46-27 advantage on Sunday.

TIP-INS

Oregon State: Olaf Schaftenaar has scored 39 points in his last two games, after a career-high 21 in a 90-59 win over DePaul.

Quinnipiac: Zaid Hearst's 20-point performance in the first half was the second best for one half in his career after he scored 21 against Canisius last season.

UP NEXT:

Oregon State: hosts UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 30.

Quinnipiac: hosts Maine on Dec. 29.