Putting the ball in the hoop is most often a group effort for a basketball team.

The Oregon State men, with five first-year scholarship players having significant roles, have seen progress in getting from their squad what they want offensively.

The Beavers (2-10) have shot better than 50% from the floor the past two games, including 30 of 56 (53.6%) in the 83-61 home win against Nicholls on Dec. 21.

“Our motions, our sets, what we’re supposed to be looking for. Then the trust when we’re in our sets to get the ball moving, the importance of moving the ball, players moving and sharing it,” coach Wayne Tinkle said. “When we do those things we score at a pretty good clip.”

Eighty-three-points was a season-high scoring total.

What has bogged down the Beavers on the offensive end this season has been too much dribbling, one-on-one play, ill-advised shots and, in a few games recently, turnovers. Oregon State averaged 11 turnovers the first eight games and nearly 18 in the last four.

Tinkle said he believes his team is still learning to play together but that the players are gathering a better understanding of what works.

The players need to trust that the ball will find them if they do all the little things right and that they need to take the quality shots that the team practices in shooting drills.

One player who has rediscovered his shooting touch is junior guard Jarod Lucas, who has 25 and 24 points, respectively, the past two games. Lucas, the team’s leading scorer at 12.9 points a game, shot 37.9% over the Beavers’ first eight games and is at 51.1% in the past four contests, including 16 of 29 on 3-pointers.

Tinkle says where Lucas has really made strides is in understanding the importance of moving without the ball. He’s learned how to set up defenders on teammates’ screens and how come off of them.

“He’s moving really well without the ball, and it’s getting him better looks,” Tinkle said. “Let’s face it, teams are just going to try to get into him. By being a great screener and a cutter, he’s getting great looks that he’s comfortable with and that’s where he’s shooting better percentages.”

Tinkle also credits OSU junior point guard Dashawn Davis, one of the newcomers, for breaking down defenses, which has helped Lucas get better shots.

The coach said Golden State Warriors’ Steph Curry, arguably the best shooter in the history of the sport, is an example of what being a great screener can do for your game. It forces your defender to play help defense while also helping you get better looks at the basket.

Oregon State has yet to find another consistent scorer outside of Lucas.

Senior forward Warith Alatishe, Davis and junior forward Ahmad Rand have each scored in double digits in consecutive games once this season.

That’s left the coaching staff to continue its search for a group that will defend and play offense routinely.

“What we’re looking for is eight to nine guys that are doing stuff consistently,” Tinkle said.

With the team dropping so many close games during its 10-game losing streak, players wanted to be a factor in getting OSU out of its funk. The coaches simply want them to make the most out of their playing time and put the team first.

“It might be defending and rebounding. It might be ‘hey, we need you to take open shots and knock them down.’ We’ve got to have that kind of buy-in,” Tinkle said.

The Beavers saw progress in that area in the two most recent games, but the challenge is to keep that going.

One player who has shown an ability to contribute on both ends, and in particular on offense, is senior center Roman Silva, who played a significant role in last year’s NCAA tournament run.

Silva has dealt with a knee injury and conditioning concerns early this season. But in the past four games he’s shot 8 of 13 from the floor while averaging 16 minutes. Silva had a season-high nine points on 3-of-4 shooting against Nicholls.

The hope is to at some point be able to play Silva alongside Rand, a power forward.

“I think getting him healthy and getting his confidence back where we know it belongs is going to be huge for us moving forward because Roman is one of the more selfless guys on the team,” Tinkle said. “He’s a very good leader when he feels like he’s helping the team. If he doesn’t feel like he’s helping the team he kind of gets quiet. So we need Roman to get healthy, stay positive and be confident.”