The No. 11 seeded Oregon State showed up against the No. 6 seed Arizona State in the first round of the PAC-12 Tournament with one goal in mind, “Enjoy it.”

Entering the tournament game with opposite records, Oregon State coming in with an 11-20 record compared to the Sun Devils’ 20-11 record, the Beavers were feeling confident that they could take a game from Arizona State.

“We’ve got to spread the floor. Play loose, play freely,” said head coach Wayne Tinkle.

The Beavers were led in points by Jordan Pope with 12, and Glenn Taylor Jr. who, coming off a career game versus California, had 17 points. 

But for the third time this season, the Oregon State men’s basketball team lost a close game to Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils, with this tournament battle ending up as a 57-63 loss for the Beavers. 

The Beavers only made three 3-pointers, all coming from Pope. The 16.7% three-point percentage reflected a struggle that plagued Oregon State all night, as they shot 34% from the field overall.

Arizona State leaned on big nights from point guard Des Cambridge Jr. who had 13 points, as well as Warren Washington, a former Beaver, who was one rebound shy of a 15-point double-double.

About four minutes after halftime, the score favored Oregon State, 35-34. The teams were trading shot after shot until a sudden scoring drought drastically hurt the Beavers. The team went six minutes without scoring, missing 10 shots as Arizona State got to a 10-point lead.

The Sun Devil lead would extend to as much as 12, despite a near comeback fueled by a red-hot Taylor Jr. Although Arizona State committed multiple turnovers and forced missed shots, the lead would never be regained by the Beavers.

The tournament loss marked the end of the season for Oregon State, who finished 11-21 on the year. The team’s hard work and determination were on full display even in a loss, and a season so full of improvement in a young team should have Beaver fans excited for what’s to come.