Beavers hit free throws, top Bruins

Chris Stephens hit five of six free throws in the final 18 seconds as Oregon State held on to beat UCLA 85-80 on Friday afternoon in Corvallis, Ore.

David Lucas had 21 points and J.S. Nash had 20 for Oregon State (9-3, 1-0). The Beavers led by as many as 14 points in the second half.

Michael Fey had 23 and Dijon Thompson had 20 for the Bruins.

The Beavers led 71-57, but Thompson hit two 3-pointers and Michael Fey had a rim-shaking dunk to cut into the lead. The Bruins (6-3, 0-1) got within three, but Stephens hit his free throws to close out the game.

Lucas, a senior who was an all-conference selection last year, was sidelined until this week with a torn tendon in his big toe. He didn’t start, but played 26 minutes.

Lucas scored 13 points in 17 minutes in his debut Tuesday against Sacramento State.

Five Beavers scored in double figures.

Morrison and Farmar each had 11 points in the first half, with the Bruins going on an 11-0 run before the break to lead 42-37.

The game turned Oregon State’s way in the second half.

Sasa Cuic hit a 3-pointer to pull the Beavers even at 42. Josh Shipp answered on the other end, but Jason Fontenet and Nash hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Oregon State the lead again. A minute later, Nash buried another 3-pointer, the Beavers’ fourth in four shots, and the lead was 51-45.

Oregon St. 85, UCLA 80

UCLA (6-3, 0-1) – Thompson 6-14 4-4 18, Shipp 3-9 0-0 8, Fey 10-14 3-4 23, Afflalo 1-4 1-2 3, Farmar 4-8 3-4 12, Morrison 4-9 0-0 11, Mata 1-2 1-2 3, Collins 0-0 0-0 0, McKinney 1-3 0-3 2. Totals 30-63 12-19 80.

Oregon St (9-3, 1-0) – DeWitz 4-10 0-0 9, Cuic 4-9 1-2 10, Hurd 0-1 0-0 0, Fontenet 5-8-1 13, Nash 5-6 5-6 20, Jones 0-0 0-0 0, Remmers 0-0 0-2 0, Hanchett 0-2 0-0 0, Stephens 1-5 9-10 12, Hooks 0-0 0-0 0, Lucas-17, 3-5 21, Jeffers 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-59 19-26 85.

Halftime—UCLA 42, Oregon St. 37. 3-Point goals—UCLA 8-22 (Morrison 3-8, Thompson 2-6, Shipp 2-4, Farmar 1-3, Afflalo 0-1), Oregon St. 10-16 (Nash 5-5, Fontenet 2-4, Cuic 1-3, DeWitz 1-2, Stephens 1-2). Fouled out—Afflalo, Cuic. Rebounds—UCLA 43 (Mata, Fey 7), Oregon St. 27 (DeWitz 9). Assists—UCLA 19 (Afflalo, Farmar), Oregon St. 19 (Fontenet 6). Total fouls—UCLA 24, Oregon St. 19. A—9,042.

Oregon 90, Southern Cal 83

Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 34 points and Bryce Taylor added 18 as the Ducks (9-1, 1-0) opened the Pac-10 Conference season with a victory over the Trojans (7-5, 0-1) in Eugene, Ore.

Brooks hit a 3-pointer with 2:17 to play to put the Ducks up for good, 82-80. Seconds later Taylor made it a two-possession game with a layup in transition for an 84-80 lead.

Brooks finished 9 for 13 from the field and 12 for 13 from the free-throw line. He also made four of the Ducks’ 11 3-pointers.

Lodrick Stewart, who scored 17 points in the first half, finished with 25 points to pace the Trojans.

Stewart’s 3-pointer with 4:23 left in the game put USC up 80-77, but the Trojans didn’t score another point until his 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds to play.

Freshman Nick Young scored a career-high 21 for USC.

Southern Cal (7-5, 0-1) – Young 9-17 1-2 21, McMillian 3-4 3-5 9, O’Neil 4-7 0-0 8, Stewart 9-16 2-3 25, Pruitt 4-8 0-0 9, Curtis 0-0 0-0 0, Guenther-5 1-2 7, Craven 1-4 2-5 4. Totals 33-61 9-17 83.

Oregon (9-1, 1-0) – Platt 0-0 0-0 0, Taylor 6-11 3-4 18, Crosswhite 4-11 0-0 9, Brooks 9-13 12-13 34, Hairston 3-6 0-0 7, Kent 1-2 2-2 4, Short 0-0 0-0 0, Leunen 3-4 6-6 13, Love 0-0 2-3 2, Lincoln 1-1 0-0 3. Totals 27-48 25-28 90.

Halftime—Oregon 46, Southern Cal 39. 3-Point goals—Southern Cal 8-25 (Stewart 5-12, Young 2-6, Pruitt 1-4, Craven 0-2, O’Neil 0-1), Oregon 11-20 (Brooks 4-7, Taylor 3-7, Crosswhite 1-2, Hairston 1-2, Leunen 1-1, Lincoln 1-1) Fouled out—O’Neil. Rebounds—Southern Cal 29 (Young 7), Oregon 20 (Crosswhite, Leunen 5). Assists—Southern Cal 8 (Stewart 6), Oregon 13 (Taylor, Brooks 3). Total fouls—Southern Cal 21, Oregon 16. A—9,087.