2012 Pac-12 Tournament: OSU Knocks Out WSU, 69-64

The Oregon State Beavers opened up the 2012 Pac-12 tournament with an ugly win over the Washington State Cougars at an empty Staples Center in Los Angeles. After OSU jumped out to a quick 24-8 lead, WSU battled back with a 24-4 run of their own and the game was tight until the final two minutes, where the Beavers pulled away from the free throw line.

Brock Motum led WSU with 18 points. Marcus Capers had 14 points and 9 rebounds in what may be his final collegiate game (unless the Cougs play in the CBI or something like that). Reggie Moore struggled in the second half after getting blocked on a couple layups. He began settling for tougher floaters and jumpers and ended up missing all 11 of his field goal attempts in the last twenty minutes. His aggressiveness in the first half was key to the Cougs' big run.

The Pac-12's leading scorer coming into the game, Jared Cunningham, was shut down by WSU. Cunningham was held to just 4 points. Devon Collier stepped up to fill the void, scoring 19 points and 6 rebounds.

Turnovers stunted the Cougar offense throughout the game, as they shot well. The Beavers were also allowed to be physical on the defensive end in the second half, while WSU was being called for fouls nearly every time down in the last five minutes. This was unsurprisingly another poorly officiated game from Pac-12 officials.

The Beavers advance to take on the Washington Huskies tomorrow, while the Cougars are left with a one-and-done in the conference tournament for the third straight year.