Oregon State scores basketball Civil War victory

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Oregon State coach Craig Robinson is counting his program's milestones one at a time.

After all, the Beavers are just two years removed from a zero-to-18 conference record and haven't been to the NCAA tournament in 20 years.

Oregon State took another step forward Saturday, gaining a two-game season sweep of rival Oregon for the first time since 1993. They scored a 62-to-42-point over the Ducks at Oregon State's Gill Coliseum in Corvallis.

"Every single accomplishment here is meaningful because it's been so long, and here's yet another one," said Robinson, in his second year with the team. "It's nice to be able to hang your hat on some things that haven't happened in a long time."

Omari Johnson had 16 of his season-high 18 points in the first half for the Beavers (10-12, 4-6 Pac-10), who last month won at Oregon for the first time since 1993.

The 20-point win on Saturday marked the widest margin of victory for Oregon State in the series since a 94-to-51 Beavers win in Corvallis in 1982.

Jared Cunningham and Calvin Haynes added 11 points and four assists each for Oregon State. Malcolm Armstead and Matt Humphrey had 10 points apiece for Oregon (12-10, 4-6). After leading 32 to 25 at halftime, Oregon State outscored Oregon 30-17 in the second half.

Oregon scored the first four points of the second half, but Oregon State answered with the next eight. Oregon State led 40 to 29 at that point, and Oregon would get no closer than eight the rest of the way.

The Beavers later scored 10 straight to go up 59 to 34, for their biggest lead of the game.

After scoring 16 points in the first half, Johnson didn't score again until 7:20 was left. But by then, the Beavers were ahead 51 to 34.

Johnson, who started for the first time since Nov. 21, had a first half that included four 3-pointers.

"Omari has had that in him all season," said Robinson, who has been looking for a player at the power forward position to contribute consistent scoring. "At the beginning of the season, I said he was the guy who was practicing the best."

Johnson, a 6-foot-9-inch forward who scored in the double figures for just the third time this season, said he was waiting to have a breakout game: "I was trying to see when it was going to come, and it came at the right time," he said. "My teammates were just finding me, I was trying to get open. Once I hit one, I felt like I could hit another."

Oregon struggled to find an offensive rhythm against Oregon State's 1-3-1 zone defense.

The Ducks shot 14 of 47 (29.8 percent) from the field Saturday, including 2 of 17 from 3-point range.

"They made us one-dimensional," Oregon coach Ernie Kent said. "They made us kind of live and die from the perimeter, and we didn't shoot the ball very well."

The Beavers held Tajuan Porter, Oregon's leading scorer at 12.5 points per game entering the contest, to three points on 1-of-6 shooting.

Oregon State shot 21 of 42 from the floor and had a 34-28 rebounding advantage.

At 333 games, the hardwood version of the Civil War is the most contested rivalry in Division I men's basketball history. Oregon State leads the all-time series: 183 to 150.