Beavers Overwhelmed By Oregon 87-75 in Road Loss
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The Oregon State men's basketball team suffered its first defeat of the season in an 87-75 loss in Eugene on Monday night. The Beavers kept things within striking distance for most of the game, but Oregon was able to pull away in the last five minutes.
After falling behind 11-0 in the early going, Wayne TInkle's group responded, and even took a brief 29-28 lead in the first half after a Malcom Christie three-pointer. The Ducks quickly recovered, however, and took a 41-34 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Oregon State hung around down the stretch in the second half, cutting the lead to three with 10:53 remaining. But rebounding struggles, along with hot Oregon shooting, ultimately proved too much for the Beavers to overcome.
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Point gaurd Josiah Lake, who has hardly come off the floor for Oregon State so far this season, was in foul trouble for the entirety of the night. After picking up his second personal with 13:46 remaining in the first half, he went to the bench. He picked up two additional fouls in the second half, once again forcing him to sit. Overall, Lake was able to play just 18 total minutes Monday night against the Ducks. Big men Johan Munch and Noah Amenhauser also picked up two quick fouls in the beginning of the game.
With so many players in foul trouble, the Beavers saw some players step up off the bench. Forward Yaak Yaak gave OSU an immediate boost when he first came into the game, and finished with ten points and four rebounds in 23 minutes played. 6'10" Freshman Olavi Suutela also had quality playing time, scoring eight points and making both of his attempts from beyond the arc. These impressive performances from two young guys are certainly something for coach TInkle to be happy about.
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Sophomore Isaiah Sy led the Beavers in the scoring column, finishing with 14. Lake put up ten points and three assists, despite the limited minutes he saw due to foul trouble. Guards Dez White and freshman Matija Samar both finished with nine points each.
Next up, the Beavers will head to the US Virgin Islands for the 2025 Paradise Jam tournament. Oregon State will open up the tournament against Evansville on Friday at 5 p.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.