Noah Dickerson scored seven of his 22 points in overtime, David Crisp added a key 3-pointer with 48 seconds left in the extra session, and Washington held off Oregon State 81-76 on Wednesday night for its 15th conference victory.
The Huskies (24-6, 15-2 Pac-12) have already wrapped up the regular season conference title and No. 1 seed at the conference tournament next week in Las Vegas. But it was another uncomfortable night for the league champs, being forced to overtime for the first time this season by the Beavers.
Oregon State (17-12, 9-8) struggled to slow Dickerson most of the night and he carried Washington in the extra session, twice scoring over a defender and adding a dunk off a nice feed from Crisp. His basket with 1:42 left gave Washington a 74-69 lead, but Tres Tinkle answered with a 3-pointer to pull the Beavers within 74-72. Crisp hit fourth 3-pointer of the game from the wing to push the lead to five and the Huskies escaped.
Crisp finished with 22 points and Jaylen Nowell added 16. Dickerson also grabbed 17 rebounds.
Tinkle led the Beavers with 31 points, one off his career-high, and scored 19 of the final 22 points for Oregon State in regulation and overtime. Kylor Kelley added 16 points, but Stephen Thompson Jr., who has tormented Washington in the past, was held to nine points on 3 of 10 shooting. Oregon State needs a win over Washington State on Saturday to clinch a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
Washington seemed on the verge of putting the Beavers away after taking a 54-48 lead, only to watch Ethan Thompson score underneath and Zach Reichle complete a 4-point play to pull Oregon State even at 54-all with 7:03 left. Washington pushed the lead back to six but was unable to pull away.
Tinkle scored eight straight points, capped by a deep 3 to pull Oregon State even at 62-all with 2:14 remaining. Crisp answered with a driving layup that counted due to basket interference, but fouled Stephen Thompson at the opposite end and his two free throws kept the game tied with 95 seconds left.
Dickerson scored underneath to put the Huskies back in front, but Tinkle answered while being fouled with 53 seconds left. He was unable to complete the 3-point play and kept the game tied at 66.
Washington committed a shot-clock violation with 22 seconds left after Matisse Thybulle forced a challenged 3-pointer and missed everything, giving the Beavers the chance at the final shot. It wasn’t a clear look and Stephen Thompson’s contested 3 missed at the buzzer.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon State: Kelley was a big boost on the interior for Oregon State but didn’t score in the final 14 minutes of regulation. … The Beavers last four losses have been by a combined 11 points.
Washington: The Huskies have 15 wins in conference play for the first time since the 1983-84 season. … Thybulle broke his own school record for most steals in a season. He has 104 for the season and is the national leader in steals per game.
UP NEXT
Oregon State: The Beavers close out the regular season at Washington State on Saturday.
Washington: The Huskies close out the regular season on Saturday night hosting Oregon.
— AP
