CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said his freshmen are going to make mistakes, but he needs them on the floor.
''There's a couple of things I know with those freshmen. They're going to play their (butts) off and they're going to keep good attitudes,'' he added.
Freshman center Drew Eubanks had 17 points and nine rebounds, shooting 6 for 7 from the floor, as Oregon State beat Loyola Marymount 79-70 on Wednesday night.
Altogether, five freshmen for the Beavers combined to score 43 points in the game, including Stephen Thompson Jr., who had 12 points.
''We stayed with those guys a lot in the last eight minutes of the game, and it was neat that they were able to push it out and close it out with the help of some of those vets,'' Tinkle said.
Olaf Schaftenaar scored 19 points and Gary Payton II added six points, nine rebounds, nine assists and three steals for Oregon State (5-1), which rebounded from its only loss of the season.
Eubanks said he tries not to get caught up in the emotion of the game, such as after he had a huge alley oop dunk late in the second half. ''It's hard when we have such a great crowd. After a great play, you can't even hear the person next to you,'' he said.
Adom Jacko came off the bench to tie a career high with 22 points and Steven Haney Jr. added 16 points, making four 3-pointers for the Lions (4-3), who had won three straight.
The Beavers outrebounded Loyola Marymount 40-32, but committed 16 turnovers, compared to 11 for the Lions.
''We lost it on the boards and at the free-throw line,'' said Loyola Marymount coach Mike Dunlap. The Lions went 0 for 2 at the line, while the Beavers made 15 of 18 free throws.
The game was back and forth with seven ties, nine lead changes and neither team leading by more than six until late.
The Beavers trailed 16-10 when they went on a 10-2 surge, capped by Derrick Bruce's 3-pointer with 5:20 left in the half. During the run, Oregon State held the Lions scoreless for more than four minutes.
Oregon State led 30-29 at the break.
The Beavers quickly pushed the margin to six points in the second half. Loyola Marymount regained the lead, albeit briefly, with a 6-0 run, capped by Joshua Spiers' 3-pointer that made it 45-44 with 11:34 left.
Thompson put the Beavers ahead 63-55 with 5:26 remaining when he stole the ball on a missed free throw and made a lay-in. The basket capped a 7-0 run for Oregon State.
The Lions trailed by only four when Schaftenaar sunk a 3-pointer with 1:32 left, giving Oregon State much needed cushion.
Oregon State made four free throws without a miss to seal the game.
Payton, the son of NBA great Gary Payton, needed one steal to tie his father's Oregon State record of 37 consecutive games with a steal, and did so with 15:55 left in the game.
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HIGH SCORING
In the last meeting between the teams, on Dec. 19, 1989, Bo Kimble scored 53 points for Loyola Marymount and Gary Payton scored 48 for Oregon State as the Lions prevailed 117-113 in Corvallis. The 230 combined points remain a Gill Coliseum record.
BRAND NEW TEAM
Loyola Marymount only won eight games last season, and Dunlap said he recruited six new players to switch the culture. ''The quickest way to do that is to change the players and clean some things up. . It's a brand new team,'' he added.
TIP-INS
Loyola Marymount: The Lions came into the contest ranked 20th in the nation with a 5.33 turnover margin, forcing 17.3 turnovers per game and averaging just 12 turnovers themselves. . Dunlap, in his second year, led the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats for the 2012-13 season.
Oregon State: The Beavers equaled their best start through six games since the 1980-81 team opened 26-0. Eight Oregon State teams since have started 5-1, most recently in 2011-12. . The Beavers came into the game averaging 74.4 points, up from 60.9 points last season.
UP NEXT
Loyola Marymount hosts UC Riverside on Sunday.
Oregon State plays Nevada on Saturday.
