Aggies earn important road win, defeat Oregon State 67-64 in Portland

Texas A&M made it more difficult and stressful than necessary, but managed to post its third consecutive victory with a 67-64 triumph over Oregon State on Saturday night in the Dam City Classic in Portland, Oregon.

The Aggies (4-4) led by eight points with 3:36 to go, but had to some tense moments before finally subduing the Beavers (6-3), who converted just 1 of their final nine shots.

T.J. Starks hit a free throw with three seconds remaining to provide the Aggies their 67-64 lead. He missed the second shot, though. Oregon State rebounded and forward Tres Tinkle could not convert a long 3-pointer to tie.

Starks netted 18 points and dished eight assists to lead the Aggies. Brandon Mahan, Wendell Mitchell and John Walker all contributed 10 points. Mitchell had a trio of 3-point goals for the second consecutive game. A&M managed seven 3-pointers and converted 82.4 percent (14 of 17) at the free throw line. Guard Ethan Thompson had 20 points and Tinkle, a 6-foot-8 forward, had 17 to lead Oregon State.

The Aggies started slow, but led by as many as six points in the early going until hitting a cold streak late in the first half. A&M hit just 1 of 9 field goal attempts in the slump. Oregon State capitalized to took a 28-26 lead after Ethan Thompson and Alfred Hollins combined to hit 3 free throws.

However, the Aggies hit their next three shots as Josh Nebo scored a layup, Walker drilled a 3-pointer and Starks converted a layup to take a 33-30 lead at intermission.

Oregon State came back and took a 57-56 lead on an Ethan Thompson 3-pointer with 5:19 to play. But Starks hit a layup and a 3-pointer in a pivotal 9-0 run. A Savion Flagg layup staked the Aggies to a 65-57 lead with 3:36 remaining.

The Aggies did not get another field goal and Oregon State capitalized to keep the pressure on A&M. Oregon State trailed just 66-63 after Hollins made the second of two free throws with 17 seconds remaining.

Then the Beavers had a chance to tie when T.J. Starks committed a turnover three seconds later. They missed three consecutive layups, but grabbed an offensive rebound on each. Starks fouled Tinkle after the third miss. Tinkle made just one free throw and the Aggies clung to a 66-64 lead with four seconds left.

Starks was immediately fouled when Tinkle misfired on his second shot. Starks could have ended the drama with two free throws. He only hit one, which gave Oregon State an long shot to tie. But the long shot did not connect.