Oregon State MBB Loses Heartbreaker to Rival Oregon, 78-75
Tonight, Oregon State fell in a heartbreaker at home to Oregon, their heated rivals, 78-75. It was a game that required a major rally from UO to win, as OSU played excellent basketball for most of the night. The painful loss makes it eight straight for Oregon against the Beavers, extending a streak that goes back to March 12 of 2021, where Oregon State topped the Ducks in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Nate Bittle led the way for Oregon, scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 boards in a game where the Ducks had to battle back from a big deficit in order to emerge victorious. A 20-5 run at the 11:49 mark of the second half was ultimately the difference in the matchup, as the Ducks locked in on defense and forced bad shots.
For OSU, Michael Rataj starred with 20 points and 10 rebounds, leading the team in both categories, while Liutauras Lelevicius poured in another 13 and Parsa Fallah added 11. DaMarco Minor had a tough night where he struggled with efficiency, shooting just 3-of-13 from the field overall, though he added seven rebounds and three assists.
For Oregon, Bittle was the obvious star, but guard Jackson Shelstad had a bounce-back game by scoring 13 points and dishing six dimes. He had several clutch baskets, including two separate shots to put the Ducks ahead, and a layup with 25 seconds left to extend their lead to three. For a player who has had a tough time this season, it was a get-right outing when his team needed him most.
While no doubt an unfortunate loss to this particular rival yet again, it should be noted that OSU played 30 minutes of high-level basketball against the best team they have faced this year, and nearly pulled off the upset. It is an indication that things are moving in the right direction for this program, who now sits at 4-1 on the season overall. Their next game will be against North Texas on November 25 on the road at The Pit in Denton, which will be streamed on ESPN+.
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Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.