Oregon State doesn’t have the depth to be able to lose key players and still have success.
Beavers head coach Craig Robinson alluded to that Saturday night after his team’s 80-70 home loss to No. 4 Arizona that dropped Oregon State to 10-6 overall and 0-3 in the Pac-12.
The Beavers felt the absence of sophomore forward Eric Moreland, who along with teammate Victor Robbins was suspended indefinitely for undisclosed reasons before Thursday’s home loss to Arizona State.
Moreland is averaging 10.8 points and 11.7 rebounds this season. He has seven double-doubles this season, including a stretch of four straight to end nonconference play. Robbins has played sparingly in nine of the Beavers’ 16 games.
“His presence in the interior is incredible,” Oregon State guard Ahmad Starks said of Moreland, who has started all 14 games he’s played. “With his length and his athleticism, he can guard guys on the interior. His shot blocking and his rebounding, of course.”
Robinson said Robbins will be available to play Saturday at USC. The coach said he’s still deciding on Moreland’s status.
Solomon Hill had 16 points, including five 3-pointers for the visiting Wildcats. Mark Lyons added 16 points and freshman Grant Jerrett had six blocks, a season high for the team.
Arizona (15-1, 3-1 Pac-12) was coming off a 70-66 defeat Thursday night just down the road against Oregon. While the Wildcats had pulled off several close victories, their luck ran out against the Ducks.
“They were storming the court, that’s hard to go through,” Jerrett said. “You just have to let it go.”
There was no nail-biting finish against the Beavers, who trailed by as many as 17 points in their third straight loss. Starks led Oregon State with 18 points.
USC 76, UTAH 59 — J.T. Terrell scored 14 points and Southern California defeated Utah 76-59 on Saturday to snap a string of 14 straight road losses.
Dewayne Dedmon had 13 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks for the Trojans (7-10, 2-2), while Jio Fontan and Byron Wesley scored 13 points each.
