Beavers Melt Down in Loss to Iona at Paradise Jam
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The Oregon State men's basketball team suffered a giant second-half collapse and ultimately lost in double overtime to the Iona Gaels on Saturday, 91-84.
The nightmare for Wayne Tinkle's side began with eight minutes remaining in the second half and the Beavers leading 58-43, when Iona kicked off a massive surge. The Gaels went on an 11-1 run over the next few minutes, and held OSU without a single field goal during that time.
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The Beavers were able to respond and break their drought, but they couldn't find any answer for Luke Jungers, the 6'9" Iona forward who was absolutely unconscious from behind the arc. He and point guard CJ Anthony combined to hit four deep threes in the final 2:05 of regulation.
Missed free throws also took their toll on Oregon State. Leading by five with 50 seconds left, Isaiah Sy missed the second of two foul shots. The Beavers then committed a foul on the other end, leading to two made free throws from CJ Anthony.
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After coming away with a stop, Iona had one final chance to tie, down three points with 12 seconds left. Coming out of a defensive timeout, the Beavers actually defended this possession very well. However, the red-hot Luke Jungers hit a phenomenal step-back three with one second remaining, and sent the game to overtime.
Oregon State played the final minute of regulation and both overtime periods without standout point guard Josiah Lake, who suffered an apparent ankle injury late in the second half. After a back-and-forth affair in the second OT, Iona eventually pulled away and walked out with a seven-point win.
The Beavers will fall to 3-3 on the season. They'll have Sunday off before they play one more game in the Virgin Islands on Monday. OSU will tip off against UMass on ESPN+ at 9:30 a.m. PT.
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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.