Oregon State Edges Long Beach for Third Place in Tournament

Center Teo Alibegovic scored 21 points Saturday night in leading Oregon State to a 75-72 victory over Cal State Long Beach and a third-place finish in the Illini Classic.

Illinois won the tournament for the 12th time in its 12-year history with an 85-67 victory over Georgia Southern.

Long Beach was led by Lucious Harris, who scored 27 points. Will Brantley added 19 for the Beavers.

The victory improved Oregon State’s record to 2-1. Long Beach fell to 1-4.

After falling behind early, Oregon State was able to hang tough through the first half as the 49ers built a 41-36 halftime lead.

The Beavers took the lead for good in the second half when Alibegovic hit two free throws and a basket to put his team ahead, 68-65, with 6:50 remaining.

The 49ers could have won the game at the free-throw line, but they missed three of four attempts in the final minute. Oregon State secured the victory when a three-point attempt at the buzzer by Mike Masucci fell short.

In the championship game, junior forward Andy Kaufmann scored 28 points to lead Illinois.

Deon Thomas added 19 points and Rennie Clemens added 14 for the Illini. Georgia Southern was led by Tony Windlass, who scored 15 points.

Illinois improved to 6-3. Georgia Southern is 2-3.