Oregon State, Josiah Lake II, Come From Behind Against Pepperdine 83-73
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Tonight, Oregon State defeated Pepperdine 83-73 thanks to another incredible performance from Josiah Lake II.
With just thirty seconds elapsed in the opening half, Lake calmly received a pass from his Oregon State teammate Isiah Sy, stepped up onto the nose of the Beavers' midcourt logo, and fired a nothing but net three-pointer from NBA range.
At the game's first media timeout, Oregon State led 11-8, and Lake II led all scorers with 5 points.
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Lake II's heroics were far from over. With 7:37 remaining in the opening half, the Beavers trailed the Waves 24-23. Then their standout point guard drove inside, spun back, noticed a double team, and kicked the basketball out to the corner for a wide open Jorge Diaz-Graham, who buried a lead-changing triple.
Pepperdine perenially tested Oregon State in the opening half. After Diaz-Graham's bomb, the Waves surged back ahead with three free-throws by guard Aaron Clark. A minute later, an impressive Oregon State blocked layup was rebounded by Pepperdine forward Pavle Stošic, who found teammate David Mager for an open three.
Moments later, Oregon State's 2026 breakout star Lake II demanded Gill Coliseum's full attention once again. After a Pepperdine guard slipped on the elbow of the arc, Lake II stole his basketball, drove to the opposite basket, and stopped on a dime, earning a shoulder check from Pepperdine's Israeli big man Yonatan Levy for his efforts. At the same moment Levy made contact, Lake II fired a bank shot which landed through the netting. His and-1 briefly restored Oregon State's lead, 31-30, with 5:27 remaining.
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As the half progressed, turnovers became an issue for the orange & black. Over the final six minutes of the frame, Pepperdine stole the ball four times. Across the entire opening twenty minutes, Oregon State surrendered possession of the basketball ten times.
At halftime, the Beavers trailed the Waves 42-36. Josiah Lake II led all Oregon State scorers with 10 points, while Pepperdine guard Aaron Clark led their lineup with 19 points.
Pepperdine opened the second half with a three-point shot from the game's leading scorer Clark, bumping the Waves' lead to 45-36. Then Oregon State grinded back: first, an errant Lake II stepback trey was recovered by Beavers' big man Olaavi Suutela, who tipped in a putback bucket. Then, his frontcourt partner Johan Munch swished an old-school hookshot. After a missed Pepperdine jumper, a defensive rebound sparked Lake II in transition, who found Diaz-Graham for an electric alley oop.
With 15:56 remaining, Pepperdine stopped the bleeding with a Levy layup. On the Waves' next possession, Styles Phipps sunk a pair of free throws which extended the road team's advantage 49-42.
As if a seven point deficit was somehow exactly what they needed, suddenly Oregon State lit up. A Suutela layup, Diaz-Graham and-1, and Lake II pullup jumper evened the battle at 49 points. With 12:14 remaining, Suutela fired another layup, and the Beavers stole the lead 51-49.
From there, the game became a brawl. The lead repeatedly toggled back-and-forth between each school. Pepperdine led. Then Oregon State led. Finally, Keziah Ekissi broke the deadlock with a triple. With 4:23 remaining, Sy tipped in a basket which lifted the Beavers' lead to 3. Then an Ekissi free throw and Sy trey surged the orange & black advantage to 75-68. As the game approached a minute remaining, Diaz-Graham delivered a knockout blow: his three-point swish gave the Beavers a commanding 81-73 lead. After a fast break layup by Sy, Oregon State finished the game with a double-digit victory.
Josiah Lake II led all Oregon State scorers with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting; he also led the Beavers with 8 assists, and played a team-high 37-of-40 minutes. The win lifted Oregon State back above .500 overall with a 15-14 record, while the win moved them back to .500 in West Coast Conference play with an 8-8 record. On Wednesday night, the Beavers begin the final week of the WCC regular season with their senior night against San Diego. The opening tip is slated for 7 PM PST.
Matt fell in love with radio during his college days at Oregon Tech, and pursued a nine year career in sports broadcasting with Klamath Falls' and Medford's highest-rated sports radio stations. He currently lives in McMinnville wine country and is excited to talk about the Beavers again.