Beavers Erase Big Deficit, Stun Washington State in Corvallis
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The Oregon State Beavers have been no stranger to exhilarating comeback victories this season.
Down 11 with less than seven minutes to play last month in Tempe, the Beavers stormed back to defeat former PAC-12 rival Arizona State. Last Saturday in San Diego, Tinkle’s squad erased a 9-point deficit with just 1:45 remaining, and picked up a huge road win over the Toreros.
Wednesday night on their home floor, the Beavers did it again. They dug their way out of a 17-point second-half hole, and found a way to even the season series against Washington State.
Early on, nobody could establish much of a rhythm on either side. The Cougars were hitting from deep with Rihards Vavers and Ace Glass, but OSU was able to utilize their size advantage by going at the smaller WSU centers down low. With 5:28 left to play in the first half, it was all knotted up at 16.
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Then, the visiting Cougars found another gear in the final minutes of the first half. Freshman guard Ace Glass hit deep triples on back-to-back possessions as part of an 11-0 run, and Washington State went into the locker room ahead 34-23.
The start of the second half saw much of the same. Glass stayed hot from deep, ND Okafor had his way inside on the offensive end, and WSU sucked the life out of Gill Coliseum by jumping in front 45-29.
But Oregon State found a spark. After hitting a three and then a pair of free-throws, junior guard Josiah Lake came away with a momentum-shifting steal and dunk on the other end which cut the lead to eight points.
Though the Cougars were able to jump back in front by 12, the Beavers weren’t done. They went on a 7-0 run over the span of a minute and a half, slicing the deficit to just four. After a double-dribble was called on ND Okafor, Josiah Lake hit a difficult fall-away two, making it a 50-48 game. A steal and layup from Johan Munch with 6:14 left gave Oregon State their first lead of the second half. There were multiple lead changes over the next two minutes, and it was tied at 56 with under four minutes left.
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From this point on, it was all Beavers. Oregon State put the defensive clamps down in the final minutes, converted on the offensive end, and left their home floor with a 74-64 victory on Wednesday night over their rival.
Johan Munch had a career performance in this one, putting up 18 points and a whopping 15 rebounds. Star point guard Josiah Lake, who scored just two in the first half, exploded for 20 in the second half, leading OSU in scoring in their comeback effort.
The comeback victory over the Cougars should serve as a great lead-up to their next contest, when they take on #6 Gonzaga at home on Saturday. Oregon State is looking for back-to-back home wins against the Bulldgos, after beating them in overtime in Corvallis last season.
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Ben Pahl is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in Portland, Oregon. His work covering college and professional sports has been featured by the Orange Media Network at Oregon State University as well as KBVR.fm. His other career stops in sports include the Portland Pickles baseball club and the NBA G-League's Rip City Remix.