Turnovers Plague Bison in Road Loss To Oregon State

Corvallis, OR-December 19-Sasa Cuic scored a game-high 18 points and Josh Tarver added 16 to lead Oregon State University to an 84-67 win over Howard University in a non-conference match-up at Gill Coliseum.

            Cuic, a 6-10 junior forward from Croatia did most of his damage from the foul line where he connected on 8 of 11 while also grabbing 5 rebounds.  Tarver, a 6-3 red-shirt freshman guard from Portland, OR, provided balance from the perimeter, hitting on 6 of 9 overall, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc while also handing out a game-high 6 assists.

            The Bison (5-6) stayed close through most of the first half before trailing 43-32 at the half.  Then a combination of turnovers (25) and some good defense on leading scorers, Darryl Hudson and Eugene Myatt, proved to be the difference.

            The Beavers converted the Howard miscues into 29 points en route to a season-best 56 percent shooting performance.  Hudson, a 6-4 senior forward co-captain from Belleville, MI, came into the game, averaging almost 20 points per game, but finished with 12 while taking only 7 shots.  He also committed a career-high 8 turnovers.

            Myatt, a 6-6 sophomore forward from Philadelphia, PA, scored 10 points on 5 of 11 shooting.  He came into the game averaging 17 points per game.

            The Bison did get a spectacular performance from senior reserve guard Darek "Skip" Mitchell, who scored all of his 15 points in the second half.  The 6-0 co-captain connected on 5 of 8 from three-point range.

            The Beavers (7-5) got 11 points each from Marcel Jones and reserve Jack McGillis.

            For the Bison, senior guard Will Gant chipped in with 9 points and freshman guard Julius Hearn tallied 8 points and 3 assists off the bench.

GAME NOTES:  The Bison shot 53 percent (9 of 17) from three-point range...they also continue to shoot well from the charity stripe (80 percent on 12 of 15)...Hudson, who now needs 39 points to reach the 1,000 mark in his career, has scored in double figures in all 11 games this season and in 17 of the last 18 overall...Gant had one three-point basket and he now needs 2 to break the school record of 161 held by former Bison Skip Bynum...the Bison lost the battle in the paint, 44-14.

NEXT UP:  Howard completes the West Coast swing when it takes on Portland State in Portland, OR on Thursday at 7 pm (CST).