via Oregon State Athletic Communications
CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State men’s basketball team opened the 2024-25 season with a resounding 80-57 victory over Utah Tech Monday evening at Gill Coliseum.
Damarco Minor led the Beavers with 23 points, five rebounds and four steals, as the transfer surpassed 1,000 points in his collegiate career. Parsa Fallah had 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists on his Oregon State debut, while junior Michael Rataj came through with 15 points and seven rebounds.
Nate Kingz scored 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting from the floor, as he finally played his first game as a Beaver after missing the entire 2023-24 season due to injury. Josiah Lake II filled the stat sheet with seven points, four rebounds and four assists.
As a team, Oregon State shot 50 percent from the floor, compared to 33.3 percent for Utah Tech. The Beavers out-scored the Trailblazers 46-20 on points in the paint. With the win, OSU has now won 11-straight season-openers – every one played during head coach Wayne Tinkle‘s tenure.
Oregon State scored six unanswered points to take a 19-12 lead into the under-12 media timeout. The Beavers extended the run to 12-0 to bring the advantage to double-figures mid-way through the season’s opening half.
The teams traded punches for the majority of the first half, as OSU headed to the intermission leading 38-31. Fallah led the Beavers with 10 points and four rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
The Trailblazers surged early in the second half, scoring 10-straight points to take the lead. The Beavers answered with an 8-0 run to go back ahead by double-figures. Oregon State broke the game open late on, as Maxim Logue and Johan Munch both scored their first Beaver points on emphatic dunks to put the exclamation points on the victory.
The Beavers will return to action Friday when Weber State visits Gill Coliseum.