Call it an off night, lack of energy, whatever. Simply put, the Washington men’s basketball team did not have it last night against OSU.

In a game that the Huskies (16-11 overall, 6-9 Pac-10) needed in order to keep their dwindling tournament hopes alive, Oregon State would have none of it, beating them 73-65.

Neither team acted as if they wanted it, playing the second half just as poorly as the first.

The Beavers (11-18 overall, 3-13 Pac-10) were able to jump out to a 7-0 lead before Justin Dentmon was able to put Washington on the board at the 16:28 mark.

“We came out to a slow start and dug ourselves a hole early,” said freshman Spencer Hawes. “That’s tough to overcome on the road against a motivated opponent.”

Despite the Huskies’ offensive struggles, Oregon State refused to put them away early and allowed them to eventually take the lead with 3:11 left in the half.

At the end of the half, though, Josh Tarver was able to give his team the lead 24-22, with a 3-point shot as time expired.

The 22 points were the lowest in a half by Washington on the season, and also were the lowest total a Beaver opponent has scored. By half’s end, Washington was shooting a paltry 40.9 percent (11 of 27), had not made a 3-pointer (0 for 7) and had turned the ball over 10 times.

“We knew that Oregon State was beginning to play with real life,” said coach Lorenzo Romar. “It was difficult. I don’t know — as much as it has been talked about and emphasized — that we were ready to come out and be focused at a high level. It’s a very disappointing loss.”

The start of the second half was just as bad as the first. Once again, Washington staked the Beavers out to a 7-2 run. Down two, the UW could not fight back and would never retake the lead. It did not matter that the Beavers did not score a field goal in the last 4:54; they were able to convert 27 of 42 free throws to maintain the lead.

Marcel Jones led OSU in the second half with 13 points, finishing with 15. Tarver led Oregon State with 16 points and added seven assists.

“Give Oregon State credit,” Romar said. “They did a nice job, but bottom line is we gave them 21 points. They scored 21 points off our 21 turnovers.”

The Beavers also made a season-high 14 steals against Washington.

On the positive side for the Huskies, production from the two big men did not suffer. Hawes led all scorers with 22 points, pulled down four rebounds and blocked three shots. Jon Brockman tied a career-high with 14 rebounds and chipped in 14 points.

The loss against the Beavers is a tough one to swallow, for both players and coaches who thought the team, as Quincy Pondexter said, “had turned a corner.”

“I thought we had [moved forward],” Romar said. “I though we had made progress. But we took a step back tonight. I think with this loss it makes it tough to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.”

Reach reporter Justin Chartrey at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.