CORVALLIS - While well beyond the notion of moral victories, the Oregon State men's basketball team believed it had tangible evidence of progress amid a lost season earlier in the week.
The Beavers took a halftime lead over Arizona - the No. 5 team in the nation - during what head coach Wayne Tinkle called "probably the best 20 minutes we've played this year."
Against a far lesser opponent Saturday at Gill Coliseum, they trailed by 19 points at halftime. The second half margin only reached single digits one time in an 81-68 defeat to Arizona State, one that marked a significant step back heading into the final four weeks of the season.