Thanks to a namesake night for sophomore sharpshooter Legend Smiley, Oregon State dispatched Mississippi Valley State 81-65. Tonight’s win is Oregon State’s fourth consecutive victory to start the 2026-27 season. The official box score can be read at this link, and our game recap is below.
Josiah Lake II, Daniel Freitag, DeShawn Gory, Xavion Staton, and Dennis Evans formed the Beavers’ starting lineup tonight. In the first 4 minutes of action, the extra size offered by the twin towers of Staton & Evans helped Oregon State dominate the glass, outrebounding Mississippi Valley State 7-3. One of those boards set up a transition trey for the game’s first sub, all-name team nominee Legend Smiley, lifting the Beavers ahead 11-3 at the game’s first media timeout.
When the second media timeout fired with 11:49 in the first half, Oregon State had extended their lead to double-digits thanks to a 7-0 run, with Smiley knocking down two more buckets, and the Beavers’ star point guard Lake offering his usual well-rounded game with 3 rebounds and 2 assists. With 8:38 to go, Smiley swished another shot beyond the arc, becoming the first player tonight to eclipse 10+ points. At the timeout, Oregon State led 30-18 with 7:55 until halftime. For added measure, Smiley’s efforts had helped the Beavers shoot 52% from the field and 58% from distance.
After play resumed, the sophomore transfer from the University of San Francisco earned his first miss of the night. In the moments that followed, Mississippi Valley State pulled closer with several three point shots by Tory James Jr., the son of former Super Bowl champion defensive back Tory James. As halftime approached, the comeback bid fell behind an impressive 10-0 Oregon State run over the final 3:24, with the Beavers hitting 4 of their last 5 shots and repeatedly denying Delta Devils’ buckets.
At halftime, Oregon State led 45-31. Legend Smiley led all scorers with 13 points on 5-8 shooting, and 3 three pointers. As a team, Oregon State shot 17-33 from the field (51.5%), 8-17 from distance (47.1%), and 3-4 from the free throw line (75%). On the glass, Mississippi Valley State held a narrow advantage 17-to-16. Defensively, 5 Oregon State steals gave the home team an edge, as the Delta Devils suffered 11 turnovers…