Oregon State Drops Paradise Jam Opener To Evansville in Virgin Islands
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Prior to the November 17 loss to the Oregon Ducks, the Oregon State Beavers had demonstrated a knack for winning close games. That wasn't the case Friday night, however.
Oregon State men's basketball dropped their second straight contest on Friday with a loss to the Evansville Aces in the team's opening contest of the 2025 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Aces came away with a 73-69 win over Wayne Tinkle's team. This marked the first meeting between the two sides since Evansville beat the Beavers in the 1989 NCAA Tournament.
In the first half, Oregon State couldn't quite find their offensive stride, shooting 33.3% from the floor. Josiah Lake made the biggest impact, sinking four of six field goal attempts with three rebounds. However, neither team had any luck from deep, with Oregon State making two of 13 field goal attempts. Evansville hit two of their ten shots from distance.
MORE: A Look at the Oregon State's Competition in the Paradise Jam
In the second half, Evansville pulled away, stretching their lead to 11 points at one moment. The Beavers did manage a rally thanks largely to 15 second-half points from Noah Amenhauser, but a series of missed free throws and turnovers late did them no favors.
Malcolm Christie made two three-pointers inside the final minute to help cut the deficit to three points with six seconds left, but the Beavers couldn't find a third three-pointer as Lake dribbled the ball off his foot out of bounds in the dwindling seconds.
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Amenhauser finished as the game's leading scorer with a total of 17 points, along with five rebounds. The only other Beaver to score in double figures on Friday was Josiah Lake with 16. Evansville's Joshua Hughes finished with a double-double, posting 16 points to go along with 12 rebounds and two assists. The Aces had four scorers in double figures at the end of the night.
With the loss, Oregon State falls to 3-2 on the season. They'll continue their run in the Virgin Islands tomorrow against the Iona Gaels on ESPN+. Tipoff time has been announced as 2:30 p.m. PT.
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Joe Londergan joined the SI brand in 2023 with G5 Football Daily. With over 15 years of experience in covering and working directly in college and pro sports, Joe's expertise has been featured in Front Office Sports, SB Nation, and XRAY.FM. He is a member of both the Football Writers' Association of America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. Joe holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisville and a master's degree in sports administration from Seattle University. Outside of his writing career, Joe enjoys golfing, although he admits that while he hits driver decently, his short game is a liability.
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