A slim Gill Coliseum gathering and a regional FSN television audience discovered on Wednesday what all the fuss over Oregon State junior center C.J. Giles is all about.

The Kansas transfer scored seven points, grabbed eight rebounds and controlled the paint at both ends in the final 7:35 — while avoiding a disqualifying fifth foul — to power the Beavers to a come-from-behind 65-56 victory over Northern Colorado before an announced crowd of 3,324.

OSU (6-4) erased a 52-47 deficit by outscoring the Bears (5-5) 18-4 over the closing 6:25. Sophomore guard Josh Tarver put the Beavers ahead for good, 56-54, at 3:39 on a runner from the lane and Giles either scored, kept possessions alive with offensive rebounds, or snatched missed UNC shots on virtually every ensuing possession to prevent the Bears from springing the upset.

“We knew when he got to play he would just help us so much,” said sophomore guard Seth Tarver, who reached double figures for the 10th game in a row with a team-high 15 points. “He helped us out when we really needed it; every single rebound, and blocks.

“His presence just does a whole lot for our team. With the other team there’s a fear factor, I guess.”

Giles finished with 10 rebounds, nine points and one block, a shot he rejected into the orange chairback seats, in only 12 minutes. He sat out the first half for missing a weight workout this week, picked up three fouls in 1:08 when he first came in with 17:45 to play, and then played another 3:11 before incurring his fourth foul with 10 minutes remaining.

Giles said his attitude is, “Just go and get it” on every rebound opportunity.

“I think a couple times the ball was still going up in the air when I got it. I just want to be the first one to get it,” he said. “I’m just that type of player, I’ve never been offensive-minded, just defense, defense, defense, and let my offense come.

“That’s what I did tonight,” once he stayed on the court long enough to establish a rhythm, and he’s confident the more he plays, the more rust he’ll shake off and the several short shots that rimmed out on Wednesday night will fall.

OSU coach Jay John said Giles “learned on the job” by staying on his feet defensively and not getting that disqualifying foul, finding his shooting touch after several early misses, and zeroing in on every rebound.

“He rebounds exceptionally well,” John said. “It would not surprise me down the road for him to get a 20-rebound game,” as he has 20 in 32 minutes over three appearances.

“The positive for me was 12 minutes in a half,” Giles’ longest sustained appearance of the season. “From a conditioning standpoint, we’re definitely making some progress that way.”

The Beavers led the entire first half and were up 45-35 with 13:35 remaining when the wheels came off.

Fueled by guard Sean Taibi’s eight consecutive points, UNC ripped off a 17-2 run to zoom ahead 52-47 on a Jefferson Mason layup with 6:51 to play.

“Any time you have the lead and you lose it, it’s like you’ve dug yourself a hole and now you have to dig yourself out,” Seth Tarver said. “You know it’s tough but it shows something about us, that we didn’t quit and put in the second effort to get the lead back and get the win.”

OSU answered with a 7-0 run before UNC’s Robert Palacios forged the third and final tie at 54-54 with 4:01 remaining. Josh Tarver scored his runner on the OSU’s ensuing possession and he added four points in the final two minutes to finish with 10.

“Early in the first half Josh had some great looks and could not knock them down,” John said. “In the second half he did a wonderful job,” with six points and two assists in 11 minutes.

Sophomore center Calvin Hampton sat out Wednesday’s game but was expected to make today’s trip to Baton Rouge, where the Beavers face LSU at noon on Saturday.

“Calvin had some personal things he needed to attend to, and he did,” John said.

Before the game it was announced that guard Michael Stovall, a 6-5 freshman from Chicago, had been permanently dismissed from the team. John did not elaborate further in the postgame.

Stovall played 38 minutes in seven games and and averaged 0.9 points and 0.7 rebounds. Under NCAA rules, his scholarship must remain vacant until next season.