The 8 p.m. tip off had the beavers in for a long night at Gill Wednesday as the Beavers extended their losing streak to eight games.

It was a tough battle between the Beavers and the University of California Golden Bears, but ultimately, it would be the Golden Bears who would come out on top as the victor, winning the game by a close score of 63-61.

“It’s a shame, we’re gonna look at the film, think we could have pulled this one out,” said Head men’s basketball coach Wayne Tinkle. The game was tied 61 all until the last 2 minutes Cal came out with a 2 point lead.

Between cancellations due to COVID-19 and injuries, the men’s basketball has faced a lot of adversity this year. As Tinkle said, “Everyday is a test of character with what we’re up against and what we’ve been through.”

It was a close game and the Oregon State defense held the Golden Bears to no more than a 4 point lead the entire game, the Beavers also leading about 75% of the game. “I’m proud of the way we stood toe to toe,” said Tinkle.

Tinkle is optimistic about tonight’s performance, “If we can set the tone, get some guys healthy, carry that forward, I think we can get some wins going.”

The Oregon State bench has had key players that have been missing from the court due to injuries. This includes junior guard Dashawn Davis, who Tinkle hopes will be able to play on this Saturday versus the Stanford Cardinal. “Apparently his injuries [have] not responded well. The distinct time table is not real clear.”

Also battling with injuries is sophomore forward Isaiah Johnson and senior forward Warith Alatishe. Tinkle said that Johnson’s return to play “might be a little while.” And while Alatishe has been playing through knee pain, Tinkle said “It will be nice to keep him hopefully healthy moving forward.”

Tinkle expressed that overall the team was heading in the right direction, “We’re not excuse makers, we are trying to find guys that are willing to step on the court day in and day out for us.”