Box Score Dec. 2, 2015 Box Score | Photo Gallery 
CORVALLIS, Ore. - Oregon State held a plus-15 edge at the charity stripe and it was too much for LMU men's basketball to overcome on the road, as the Beavers outlasted the Lions in a defensive battle, 79-70, at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore., on Wednesday night.
The Beavers (5-1), who led by one at the half, shot 60 percent in the second frame and finished the game hitting 15-for-18 from the free throw line, 13-for-15 in the second half, to pull out the win. The Lions, who entered the week ranked ninth nationally in free throw shooting percentage, finished the game without a free throw, missing two front-end of one-and-one's. Their first free throw attempt didn't come until there was less than six minutes to play. The Lions (4-3), who had won three straight, finished the game hitting 44.9 percent from the field while Oregon State hit 47.4 percent.
"Free throws, well the lack of them for us, was the story," said Head Coach Mike Dunlap. "Not going to win many when the opponent is plus-15 at the charity stripe. We also have to do better on the glass. Rebounding was a key tonight as well. For the most part, the only way they were scoring was off rebounds."
Oregon State held a 40-32 edge on the glass, posting an 18-11 advantage in second chance points.
Junior Adom Jacko led all scores with 22 points off the bench. He hit 11-for-17 from the field. Two others joined him in double figures. Sophomore Steven Haney had 16 points, hitting four three-pointers, and Brandon Brown added 12 points and nine assists.
"Our ability to get assists and pass the ball is a real positive," said Dunlap. "We did a good job of moving the ball and using the pass to our advantage."
The Lions finished with 20 assists on the night and once again used defense to their advantage. They held a 17-8 edge in points off turnovers, using 10 steals to force Oregon State into 16 turnovers. The Lions finished with just 11 turnovers. Brown led the Lions with three steals. Olaf Schaftenaar led the Beavers with 19 and Drew Eubanks had 17 points and nine rebounds.
"We had good defensive pressure most of the night," said Dunlap. "I thought we tired a bit down the stretch. But the factor of the matter is that the were a plus-15 on the free throws and that is really hard to overcome."
Oregon State held a small lead throughout the start of the second half, but never going above five. They led 44-39 on a Stephen Thompson Jr. lay-up with 12:21 to play. However, back-to-back three-pointers by Haney and Joshua Spiers gave the Lions a 45-44 lead with 11:34 to play. The lead would change hands twice and down three, Spiers hit another long-ball to tie the game at 51-51 with 8:30 to play.
Oregon State would score five straight to take a 56-51 lead, only to see the Lions score the next four to cut the lead to one, 56-55 with 7:08 to play.
From there, a 7-0 run by the Beavers gave them a 63-55 lead with 5:32 to play and created just enough space on the Lions. LMU cut the lead to four twice but could get no closer in the closing seconds.
The Lions return home for a brief one-game stop, taking on UC Riverside on Sunday, Dec. 6 at 3 pm. The game will be live on KXLU 88.9 FM.
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