San Francisco Dons Meet Oregon State in WCC Tournament Showdown

Tyrone Riley IV poured in 23 points, Ryan Beasley added 19 and Legend Smiley contributed 18, but it was not enough for the San Francisco Dons, who fell 78-77 to Oregon State on Sunday night in a West Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinal at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Josiah Lake and Dez White each scored 18 points to carry the fourth-seeded Beavers. White was particularly sharp from distance, connecting on 6 of 8 three-point attempts. Lake, who came in averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 assists and 1.5 steals on the season, also finished with seven assists. Isaiah Sy added 12 points off the bench for Oregon State.

The Dons entered the night viewing the matchup as a redemption opportunity. Oregon State had swept San Francisco in the regular season, including a lopsided 90-63 victory on Feb. 13 in which Jorge Diaz Graham scored 18 and Beasley managed 17 for USF. Sunday's game was the third meeting between the programs this season, and San Francisco came within a single point of forcing a different outcome.

The Dons arrived on the second night of a back-to-back, having overpowered Portland 82-65 on Saturday night behind a 53-point second half. Oregon State, meanwhile, had not played since its regular-season finale against Santa Clara eight days earlier, earning a triple-bye as the No. 4 seed directly to the quarterfinals.

San Francisco entered the tournament at 17-15 overall. Over their last 10 games, the Dons had gone 4-6, shooting 42.6 percent from the field while their opponents averaged 80.2 points. Oregon State came in at 16-15, going 6-4 over the same stretch at 43.4 percent shooting while holding opponents to 74.2 points per game.

The perimeter matchup shaped the contest throughout. Oregon State had averaged 8.2 made three-pointers per game on the season, 1.1 more than the 7.1 San Francisco allowed per game. White's performance in the quarterfinal underscored that edge. White scored 12 in the first half but Oregon State trailed 32-30 at the break. Lake then scored 16 in the second half to keep the Beavers in front.

For Beasley, who came in averaging 13.4 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, and for Smiley, who had averaged 1.8 made threes over the last 10 games, the night produced career-best tournament numbers that simply arrived one point short of a semifinal berth.

No. 4 seed Oregon State, now 17-15, advances to face top-seeded Gonzaga in Monday's semifinal. In the other bracket, No. 2 seed Saint Mary's will play No. 3 seed Santa Clara or sixth-seeded Pacific.