Guard Wesley Washington and the Beavers will play their last home games Thursday and Saturday.

Seniors to see last games in Gill versus WSU, UW

Kyle Jeffers and Michael Johnson will play their last home games for the Beavers beginning Thursday

By: Frank Hoaglin

Posted: 2/21/07

After a loss to Cal in which Angelo Tsagarakis forced overtime with a last second 3-pointer, the Oregon State Beavers face an uphill battle in the Pac-10, with just three games remaining on the schedule.

In a rematch of a 17-point Husky victory earlier this season in Seattle, the Beavers look to shut down a young Washington team that is coming off a four-point loss to No. 5 Pittsburgh last week.

"Our guys are always excited to play Washington and Washington State, and certainly anything can happen," said Beavers coach Jay John.

The Huskies (16-10 6-10 Pac-10) dominated the Beavers, leading by as many as 25 points before coasting to a 91-74 victory behind sophomore forward Jon Brockman's career-high 25 points.

Washington, which is looking to keep its slim NCAA Tournament hopes alive, is third in the Pac-10 averaging 78 points per game. Freshman center Spencer Hawes leads the team with 15 points-per-game, while adding 7 rebounds. Along with Brockman and guard Ryan Appleby, the young Huskies are talented on offense.

"Washington is a team we need to get back at. The loss in Seattle was pretty hurtful for us and it's always a team we enjoy playing at home," Tsagarakis said.

Saturday night against the Washington State Cougars will be the last Beaver home game of the season, and with that comes Senior Night. For the two seniors on the roster, Kyle Jeffers and Michael Johnson, this will be the last time they suit up in a Beaver uniform at Gill Coliseum.

"I have never known a student-athlete to take more advantage to be engaged in the entire collegiate experience," said John, commenting on Jeffers. "We always as a coaching staff look back and say we wish we had a chance to red shirt Kyle when he was a freshman. He's having the best year of his career."

"And Mike arrived as a walk-on and worked extremely hard and put himself in a position where he got on the floor over 200 minutes this season," John said. "I think that's every walk-on's dream."

Facing the Cougars could be the last chance to knock off a ranked opponent for the Beavers, who have accomplished this feat the last three years.

The Cougars have turned things around since last year, improving from 11-17 (4-14 Pac-10), to 22-4 (11-3 Pac-10) and a No.11 in the national rankings. They are led by guard Derrick Low and his 14 points-per-game, as well as powerful forward Ivory Clark, who adds nine points and five rebounds-per-game.

"They're a good team coming in here, and we just need to play good basketball for 40 minutes, no let-ups, simple as that," Jeffers said.

The Huskies visit Gill Coliseum Thursday at 6 p.m. followed by the Cougars Saturday at 5 p.m.