Sophomore guard Calvin Haynes glides to the basket on a fast break against the Cardinal.

Senior guard Rickey Claitt lays in a basket against Stanford on Wednesday night

Beavers do it again in overtime

Oregon State heads to CBI Championship against UTEP after back-to-back overtime wins over Vermont, Stanford

By: Casey Grogan

Posted: 3/26/09

They did it again, for the third time in 2009 season Oregon State topped Stanford and for the second time this week the Beavers walked out of overtime victorious.

After an overtime victory on Monday night against the Vermont Catamounts, Oregon State outlasted Stanford 65-62 on Wednesday. Ready to meet a team that the Beavers held two regular season victories over, Oregon State and Stanford were more than familiar with one another's defensive and offensive schemes.

After a high scoring first half affair with Vermont, the first half of Wednesday night's game featured a slow beginning. After possessing the opening tip, OSU managed to control the ball for nearly two minutes - including recovering a Stanford turnover - before finding the bottom of the basket on a shot by junior guard Josh Tarver.

The first half continued as a back-and-forth speed with both teams exchanging 2-point and 3-point baskets. While not fast paced, the first half was quick featuring only six total fouls and very few clock stoppages.

"When we make shots people are going to be up on us and that's when we are going to get backdoors," senior guard Rickey Claitt said. "Anytime you play a team four times in the season its tough. It's about who wants it more at that point. You just have to play and give it your all."

During the second half the referees whistles came out and the two teams showed the struggles from the line that comes from a lack of free throw shooting. After Claitt opened the half with a bucket, Stanford went out on a nine point run stretching their lead to 35-30.

"It's just preparation at practice," Claitt said. "It's just being prepared for it in the game and not having to worry about it when someone makes a shot. That's part of basketball people are going to make plays and it's how you adjust to the plays they make."

As in the first half the teams continued to exchange baskets and missed free throws. With the score tied at 52 apiece and 47 seconds remaining, sophomore guard Calvin Haynes took things into his own hands. With only 17 seconds on the clock, Haynes dropped in the go ahead basket giving the Beavers a 54-52 lead late in the game.

After a timeout the Cardinal drove were able to get two shots off, including a 2-point shot from Lawrence Hill. The ball rattled on the rim after the buzzer had sounded, but fell knotting the game at 54-54 and pushing the game into overtime.

"I almost needed an ambulance," Robinson said. "We played such a gutsy game. I felt so bad for the guys and tried to get them in the huddle after that to forget about it. This was probably the gutsiest game and gutsiest group of guys I've been a part of."

The Cardinal jumped out to a five-point lead early in the overtime period. The Beavers fought back tying the game at 61-61 with just over a minute left, from that point on OSU started to walk away from the Cardinal carrying a lead to three points. With two seconds left the cardinal put the ball back in Hill's hands for a last second three, which did not fall, securing the Beavers a spot in the CBI Championship.

The CBI Championship is determined in a best two-of-three series that will begin Monday night at 7 p.m. in Corvallis. The Beavers will host the University of Texas El Paso on Monday, before the Beavers and Miners head to El Paso. OSU and UTEP will meet Wednesday in El Paso and Friday if necessary.