Stephen Thompson Jr. sets Oregon State record for 3s in win

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Stephen Thompson Jr. was automatic from deep, with mid-range floaters and on lay-ins. After eight makes in a row, a shot bounced away, but with the game well in hand, his teammates took the opportunity to tease him.

"Some people came up and said, 'Finally missed one,'" Thompson said.

Thompson scored 25 points, with five 3-pointers, and set a program record with 187 career 3-pointers as Oregon State defeated Missouri State 101-77 on Saturday.

Ethan Thompson added 22 points, with five 3-pointers, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Tres Tinkle had 24 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Beavers (6-1).

"I'm just thrilled our guys found a way to get it going offensively," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. He credited ball movement — the Beavers had 29 assists on 39 field goals. "Loved how our guys shared it," he added.

Jarred Dixon had 31 points with six 3-pointers, and Tulio Da Silva added 21 points and seven rebounds for the Bears (3-5).

"They're just bigger, stronger and faster than we are. Obviously, they shot the lights out," Missouri State coach Dana Ford said.

Oregon State shot 61 percent from the field, was 16 for 28 from behind the arc, and outrebounded Missouri State 32-27. The Beavers set a school record for 3-pointers made in the game.

"We're all confident players and confident shooters, and every time we feel like we're open and have a good look at the basket, we're going to shoot it with confidence," Stephen Thompson said.

The Beavers used the long ball and rim defense to take an early lead.

Thompson's record-breaking 3-pointer, on an assist from his brother, came with 8:20 left in the first half and put the Beavers up 36-22. At that point, Oregon State had made 8 of 11 from behind the arc.

While the Bears had potent long-range shooting early, they shot 2 for 10 on layups in the first half.

Oregon State went to the break ahead 50-35.

The Beavers went on a 9-0 surge to start the second half, and a Tinkle steal and breakaway dunk put Oregon State up 59-35 with 17 minutes remaining.

Oregon State's previous 3-point record holder was Ahmad Starks, who had 185 from 2011 to 2013.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri State: Da Silva, a South Florida transfer, played just his third game with the Bears after being declared eligible by the NCAA on Nov. 21. He was coming off a 22-point game against Air Force.

Oregon State: Center Gligorije Rakocevic, aka "Big G," is out for about a month with a stress fracture in his left foot, and Kylor Kelley, a junior college transfer, moved into the starting lineup. ... Kelley came into Saturday averaging 3.2 blocks per game, good for fourth in the nation and tops in the Pac-12. He had four blocks on Saturday, along with two points and four rebounds. ... Oregon State equaled its best start through seven games since the 1980-81 team opened 26-0.

BIG THREE EFFICIENCY

The Beavers' trio of the Thompson brothers and Tinkle combined to shoot 28 for 40, or 70 percent, on the night. Ethan Thompson missed only one shot, his last of the game with 3:16 left.

DA SILVA'S IMPACT

Ford said Missouri State knew that they would be getting a good player in Da Silva. "He's helped us out tremendously. He's a good kid, got a great motor, skilled offensively, inside and out. He's a really strong rebounder. We anticipate him being an impact player," Ford added.

3-POINT RECORD

Thompson said it was "special" to get the career 3-point record and to help set the team record. "It's good to have those records and have them at home in a home game with all the fans watching," he said.

UP NEXT

Missouri State hosts Western Kentucky on Wednesday.

Oregon State plays at Saint Louis on Dec. 9.