Hamilton, UCLA beat Oregon State 82-73
CORVALLIS, Ore. -- UCLA has plenty of scoring options, but coach Steve Alford was worried about the Bruins' defense and acknowledged he "hammered" his squad after a loss to rival USC last week.
"They watched more tape than they ever have. . They were excited to get back on the court after the loss at home and prove themselves again," Alford said.
Isaac Hamilton scored 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting as UCLA beat Oregon State 82-73 on Wednesday night.
Oregon State cut its deficit to 46-43 after a 6-0 run capped by a Drew Eubanks dunk with 15:17 left. UCLA responded by scoring the next seven points. Hamilton's layup with 13:56 remaining put the Bruins up 53-43.
The margin hovered around 10 points -- or more -- the rest of the contest. A pair of Bryce Alford free throws gave UCLA its biggest lead, 73-56, with 3:54 left.
Alford, the coach's son, had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists, and Thomas Welsh added 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Bruins (12-7, 3-3 Pac-12).
UCLA outrebounded Oregon State 41-35 and shot 52 percent compared to 42 percent for the Beavers.
Gary Payton II had 17 points and seven assists, and Tres Tinkle added 15 points and eight rebounds for the Beavers (11-6, 2-4), who dropped their third straight.
"We've got to try to find a way to bounce back and become a much more consistent team, and get back to putting more emphasis on the defensive end than anything individually on the offensive end," coach Wayne Tinkle said.
Payton went to the bench with his second foul with 16:29 remaining in the half, and the Beavers were held scoreless for more than six minutes. UCLA went on a 12-0 run during the span to take a 17-8 lead.
Aaron Holiday went coast-to-coast and sank a buzzer-beating jumper from the baseline to give UCLA a 40-32 lead at the break.
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TIP-INS
UCLA: The Bruins' five starters are all averaging at least 10 points per game. . Hamilton has scored in double figures in 15 straight games, and has gone for at least 25 points in three of his last five. . Tony Parker had eight points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. . Holiday and Gyorgy Goloman each fouled out.
Oregon State: Senior forward Jarmal Reid was suspended a minimum of four games for tripping a referee during Oregon State's 59-53 loss to Utah on Sunday. This was the first game he missed. . Tres Tinkle, coach Wayne Tinkle's son, made his first start for the Beavers in place of Langston Morris-Walker, who came off the bench for the first time this season.
PREVENT DEFENSE: Steve Alford praised his team's defense -- for the first 36 minutes. "I think we gave up 17 in the last four minutes playing the wonderful NFL prevent defense. But other than that, I think we guarded the way we wanted to guard."
RETURN OF G.G.: Goloman played for only the second time this season and had three points and three rebounds in 17 minutes, but Steve Alford said he had a huge presence. "He understands how to play, he's always in the right position defensively, and he did a great job of handling the middle of the zone."
FREE THROW WOES: Oregon State was averaging 68.1 percent on free throws entering Wednesday, but the Beavers shot 12 of 24 against UCLA. "If we make free throws when we are struggling to score it, it's a different ballgame," coach Wayne Tinkle said.
UP NEXT
UCLA travels to Oregon on Saturday.
Oregon State hosts USC on Sunday.
