With just under three minutes left in the first half, OSU senior forward Tres Tinkle sunk a three-point shot to pass Gary Payton and become Oregon State’s all-time leading scorer. While an extraordinary achievement, Tinkle is already focused on the next game after a 68-65 win against PAC-12 rival Stanford.

“I got a bunch of family and friends here so I’ll probably be with them and celebrate it. They’ll be proud, it’s going to be a special moment,” Tinkle says. “But as soon as I wake up tomorrow, come back to practice, we got to get ready for Saturday.”

As the Beavers were down a point with 30 seconds left, Oregon State gave the ball to Tinkle in the clutch. He was fouled and made both free throws, and converted two more with three seconds left. Teammate OSU junior guard Ethan Thompson was confident in his captain to lead them to a win.

“I already knew those were going in,” said Thompson. “He’s been in that situation before, [Tinkle’s a] big shot maker, and he’s very clutch.”

Despite a rocky season, the Beavers have seen consistent excellence from Tinkle. In his five-year basketball career at Oregon State, he has been named to the First-Team All PAC-12 twice, became the 16th player in PAC-12 history to score over 2,000 points. He has also been named to the John R. Wooden Midseason Top 25 and is listed as a finalist for the Julius Erving Award, all while breaking countless school records.

Tinkle’s climb to the top of the scoring record has been a consistent bright spot in an otherwise disappointing season. Coming into the new decade at 10-2, Oregon State now sits at 16-13 and is on the outside looking in when it comes to both the NCAA and NIT tournaments. 

But as the saying goes, this cloud’s silver lining was Tinkle and his dedication to Beaver basketball. Past teammates Gary Payton II, Drew Eubanks, and Stephen Thompson Jr. congratulated Tinkle on the big screen and Oregon State legend Gary Payton commended him for breaking his record.

OSU head coach Wayne Tinkle has watched his son become one of the greatest to ever wear orange and black.

“We’re going to find the right moment to celebrate tonight and what he’s done,” Wayne Tinkle said. “When you think of Oregon State you think of authenticity, you think of hardhats and lunchpails. You think of blue collar… he embodies that and that’s what makes me really proud. I think the rest of Beaver Nation probably thinks that way as well.”