thorn players chasing their fifth premiership medal.The rebounding

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Evan Payne scored 19 points and Long Beach State rallied in the final minutes to beat hosts Oregon State 71-67 in the Dam City Classic at the Moda Center on Friday night.Stephen Thompson Jr. and Drew Eubanks had 17 points apiece for the Beavers, who have lost four straight.Oregon State (3-8) led by as many as seven points in the second half, but Jordan Griffins 3-pointer tied it at 52 before Justin Bibbins hit a pair of free throws to give the 49ers (3-10) the lead with 4:06 left.JaQuori McLaughlins layup got the Beavers within 62-61, but Gabe Levin got a basket and a free throw with 1:31 to go. After Ben Kones 3-pointer pulled Oregon State within a point, Levin again answered with a layup to keep the 49ers in front 67-64.The two sides traded free throws before Thompson went to the line for Oregon State, making the first free throw and missing the second. He was unable to make the rebound and Roschon Prince closed with free throws for the final margin.You could just tell it was two teams trying to find an identity, Long Beach coach Dan Monson said. Im just glad we stuck together.In the Dam City opening game earlier Friday, Portland defeated South Dakota 85-82 on Gabe Taylors 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left. Portland plays Oregon State in the final game on Sunday.I really love the effort. Our guys battled against a team that -- dont look at their record, theyve played an unbelievable schedule, Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. They came in here to get after us and I thought our guys played toe-to-toe. It came down to them making plays and we didnt.Both teams struggled to hit shots at the start, and eight minutes in Long Beach State led by 4-2. Halfway into the first half, the 49ers led 8-4. Combined the teams had 12 turnovers through the first 10 minutes.The offense picked up as the game went on. McLaughlins 3-pointer gave the Beavers a 22-16 lead with 3:51 left, and Oregon State led 29-25 at the break.Payne led the 49ers with 10 points at the break. Payne was named Big West Player of the Week last week after scoring 26 points in a 71-65 loss at Texas last Saturday, and 17 points in a victory over Pepperdine earlier in the week.Payne hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull Long Beach State into a 33-all tie, but Thompson answered with his own 3 to keep the Beavers in front. Oregon State stretched the lead to 48-41 on Drew Eubanks hook shot.Oregon State was coming off a disappointing 93-90 overtime loss to Savannah State on Sunday.The Beavers have been stung by the loss of leading scorer Tres Tinkle, coach Tinkles son, who missed his fifth straight game after breaking a bone in his non-shooting hand. Tinkle was averaging 20.2 points before the injury.Oregon State was also without junior forward Keondre Dew, who has been suspended indefinitely by coach Tinkle.The two teams hadnt met since 2000, when the Beavers won 78-66 in Hilo, Hawaii. Fridays game was just the fifth meeting in the all-time series, with the teams splitting the first four.BIG PICTURELong Beach State: Coach Dan Monson does not shy away from tough nonconference schedules, but it comes at a cost. This season the 49ers were 0-7 against Power Five conference schools before the victory over the Beavers. All of those games have been on the road. When youre a mid-major school, thats always the standard, Monson said. ... Long Beach State was picked to finish atop the Big West in the preseason conference poll.Oregon State: Gary Payton, A.C. Green and Terry Porter all attended the game. Porter, the former Trail Blazers guard, is the new head coach of the Portland Pilots, who won the opening game. Payton and Green are both former Beavers.UP NEXTLong Beach State: The 49ers return to the Walter Pyramid to host Colorado State on Thursday.Oregon State: The Beavers play Portland in the Dam City finale at the Moda Center on Sunday. Jeurys Familia Jersey . Shot outdoors against the stunning backdrop of Banff, Alta., the networks 30-minute original production airs tonight at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2. The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. Devin Mesoraco Mets Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. http://www.metsbaseballauthentic.com/keon-broxton-mets-jersey/ .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. Noah Syndergaard Jersey . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. Nolan Ryan Jersey . Sgt. Eric ONeal says most of the arrests at Monday nights game were for public drunkenness, though one person was taken into custody on suspicion of trying to steal a seat from the stadium. Alarm bells arent ringing at Waverley Park, with Grant Birchall noting Hawthorn remain ladder leaders and will learn plenty from Saturdays reality check.The Hawks suffered a shock 29-point loss to Melbourne in round 20, meaning their buffer atop the AFL ladder is just a single victory.Another defeat against North Melbourne or West Coast in the next fortnight could cost the flag favourites a spot in the top four.That would be a major blow to the clubs hopes of a fourth straight premiership.Weve had a really good year. Weve won more games than any other team in the competition, Birchall told AAP.Were sitting on top of the ladder, so I think were still in a pretty good position.Well just regroup and go again.Birchall is one of a handful of Hawthorn players chasing their fifth premiership medal.The rebounding defender conceded the Hawks had plenty to work on after succumbing to the 11th-placed Demons.Its a bit of a reality check ... weve got to sharpen up,, otherwise well be drawn back to the pack, Birchall said.ddddddddddddWell have a look at the tape and address a few things that we need to get better at.They were just too good.We kicked pretty inaccurately ... they really hurt us on turnovers.Their intensity was better. We missed tackles. They just dominated us ... we didnt rock up to play.Ben Stratton (pec) and late withdrawal James Frawley (shoulder) were added to Hawthorns injury list on Saturday, stretching their defence.Birchall denied complacency was a factor in the patchy performance.Not at all, we understand its a really tight and tough competition, he said.No matter who youre playing, if youre just that five per cent off then youre going to get caught out.Wed won nine in a row. Maybe this loss will spark us up a little bit, hopefully we can get on a bit of a roll. ' ' '