Nevada falls short at Oregon State, 66-62

CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Wolf Pack couldn’t keep up with Oregon State’s defensive game and lost 66-62 on Saturday afternoon.

Though Junior D.J. Fenner matched his career-high with 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting and senior Marqueze Coleman scored 12 points, all in the second half, Oregon State held on to beat Nevada by a slim margin.

Freshman Cameron Oliver posted 12 rebounds and a career-high five blocks for the Pack (5-3, 0-0 MW). Gary Payton II had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Beavers.

With the Pack trailing 10-8 after a 3-pointer from Payton II, sophomore Eric Cooper Jr. responded with his first 3-point basket of the afternoon to give Nevada an 11-10 advantage with 10:43 remaining in the first half.

The Beavers took the lead on the next possession but Cooper countered with another three to put the Pack back on top, 14-12.

Cooper finished with 11 points on 3-of-8 shooting from three.

Cooper’s second 3-pointer sparked a 6-3 run that put Nevada on top, 20-15, with 6:53 to go in the first but the Beavers chipped away at its deficit and took a 30-24 lead going into the locker room.

OSU led 34-28 early in the second stanza before Fenner caught fire and scored seven points in an 8-0 run that gave his team its first lead of the half, 36-34, with 15:16 to go in the game.

The Wolf Pack led 53-52 with six minutes left before the Beavers used a 13-6 spurt, capped by Stephen Thompson Jr.’s 3-pointer to stretch the Beavers lead to 65-59. Coleman answered with a 3-pointer to pull Nevada to 65-62 with 1:28 left.

Bad luck began to sink its teeth into the Pack’s shooting game when Fenner missed a 3-pointer and a layup, and then fouled Olaf Schaftenaar who split a pair of free throws to cap the scoring.

Coleman and Cooper Jr. missed several 3-point attempts to end it.

Junior D.J. Fenner matched his career-high with 24 points. The junior had 24 points at Pacific on Dec. 18 last season. Fenner’s three made three-pointers tied for his career-high set in the win over Coastal Carolina on Nov. 13.

Sophomore Eric Cooper Jr. also nailed three three-pointers, a season-best and one shy of tying his career-high of four. Cooper has now scored in double-figures three times over the last four games.

After scoring 12 points, all in the second half, senior Marqueze Coleman now has double-digit scoring games in six of eight contests this season.

Freshman Cameron Oliver set a new career-high with five blocks. Senior Tyron Criswell was one block shy of tying Oliver’s game-high five blocks but he set a new career-best with four swats.

Nevada has out-rebounded every opponent after topping the Beavers on the glass today, 47-43. The Pack has also out-blocked every foe this season. Nevada swatted 11 shots to Oregon State’s seven, and the Wolf Pack’s 11 blocks as a team set a a personal season-high.