Oregon State eases by UC Santa Barbara 71-59

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) Gary Payton II made three of Oregon State's 10 3-pointers and finished with 21 points to help the Beavers beat UC Santa Barbara 71-59 on Saturday night.

Oregon State has started 4-0 for just the second time since 2000.

Payton was 8 of 13 from the field and added seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. He has at least one steal in 35 consecutive games - two short of the school record of 37 set by his father Gary Payton.

Freshman Stephen Thompson Jr. added 13 points and Malcolm Duvivier had 12 for Oregon State. The Beavers made 10 of 18 3's and 13 of 14 free throws.

John Green led Santa Barbara (1-2) with 16 points, and Sam Beeler had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Gauchos were held to 22-of-65 shooting (34 percent).

Oregon State made 8 of 10 3-pointers in the first half

UC Santa Barbara struggled with its shooting for a third straight game, making just 8 of 30 field goals (27 percent) in the second half.

''We've got good shooters so I believe this is only a temporary stage,'' said UC Santa Barbara coach Bob Williams. ''We have guys who have proven that they can shoot the ball, but right now nothing is falling. Still, I know the lid will come off the basket at some point.''

The Gauchos led once in the game, 9-8, after Michael Bryson's two free throws, but trailed by as many as 10 in the first half.

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TIP-INS

UC Santa Barbara: The Gauchos committed just nine turnovers and outrebounded the Beavers 39-37.

Oregon State: The last time the Beavers started a season 5-0 was 1986 when Gary Payton was a freshman.

UP NEXT

UC Santa Barbara travels to face San Francisco on Wednesday.

Oregon State returns home to face Valparaiso on Tuesday.