Oregon State Hot Shooting Too Much For Howard
Corvallis, OR—December 15, 2011---Ahmad Starks scored a game-high 22 points to lead four players in double figures as Oregon State used some torrid shooting and an inside advantage to defeat Howard, 93-72 in a non-conference men's game at the Gill Coliseum.
Starks and Angus Brandt set the tone early for the Beavers (8-2) by combining for 24 of their team's points en route to a 40-24 halftime lead. Starks connected on 4 of 8 from the field—including 4 of 5 from three-point range—while Angus did most of his damage around the basket, hitting on 4 of 5 from the field.
The Bison (3-8) played without the services of leading scorer Calvin Thompson, who is nursing a groin injury. They were not able to match the marksmanship of Oregon State, which hit on 53 percent from the field in the opening period. Howard missed 19 of 28 shots and lost the battle in the paint, 18-8.
The Bison got some unexpected scoring from senior guard Glen Andrews who led them with 10 points in the first 20 minutes. It was the first action in a Howard uniform for Andrews, who had to sit out the first half of the season after transferring from Tulsa.
The Beavers picked up where they left off in the first half. Roberto Nelson and Jared Cunningham got into the act as they combined for 23 second half points. Nelson, who came off the bench, connected on 5 of the 6 shots he took from the field.
The young Bison, who have eight new players, including six freshmen, hurt themselves again with turnovers. After having only six at the half, Howard turned it over 14 times in the final 20 minutes. Oregon State capitalized by converting them into 15 points. The Beavers also held a commanding 38-22 advantage on points in the paint.
Some of the Bison's turnover woes can be attributed to the point guard play. With Thompson already out of the lineup, Howard suffered yet another blow when freshman Simuel Frazier was forced to miss the entire second half with an injury.
Despite being down by as many as 36 points at one point, the Bison never quit and finished with a strong effort to make the final score more respectable.
Freshmen Prince Okoroh and Brandon Ford each tallied 13 points while Andrews finished with 11. Ford's totals were a career high for him. Mike Phillips contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds and Trey Lee, another transfer (from Coastal Carolina) saw his first action and tallied 6 points and 6 rebounds.
NEXT UP: Howard travels to Bloomington, IN to take on the Hoosiers on Monday at 6:30 pm.
