Rivalry games are supposed to be chaotic, but Monday night felt like chaos with a whistle.
In a foul-heavy, momentum-swinging Civil War rivalry matchup, Oregon State suffered its first loss of the season, as Oregon pulled away for an 87-75 win.
The Beavers, who entered the night undefeated at 3-0, now head into tournament week needing answers on toughness, rotations, and handling pressure.
Josiah Lake II summed up the night bluntly, “Me and the team have a lot to learn from this game.”
His comment came as Oregon State tried to recover from an early wave of whistles and an Oregon start that buried them before they found any rhythm.
The Ducks opened the night on an 11-0 run behind strong finishes from Nate Bittle and Kwame Evans Jr.
At the same time, Oregon State was whistled for seven fouls in the first first minutes, forcing Head Coach Wayne Tinkle to change rotations immediately.
“It did impact our rotations and our plan a little bit, but the great thing is the bench really responded when we needed it,” Tinkle said. “We are still trying to find out who we are and what we have. We did show some fight.”
That fight came from Yaak Yaak, who entered the game and instantly swung the energy with a dunk, an and-one play, and a deep 3-pointer.
Lake II added two tough reverse layups to trim the early deficit, but Oregon’s full court pressure and constant double teams kept the Beavers from gaining real momentum.
Matija Samar helped Oregon State briefly take the lead after hitting two free throws and finding Malcolm Christie for a deep 3-pointer that made it 29-28.
The Ducks responded quickly with a Jackson Shelstad 3-pointer and an Evans Jr. layup, as Oregon closed the half strong.
A Takai Simpkins 3-pointer pushed the margin to 41-31 before Olavi Suutela hit a needed three to bring the OSU deficit to single-digits, as the Beavs trailed 41-34 at halftime.
The numbers at the break told the story. Oregon attempted 14 free throws to Oregon State’s five and outrebounded the Beavers 23-15. Oregon State was perfect from the line while the Ducks shot 57%, but the Beavers could not overcome the gap in free throws or boards.
The second half opened with more Oregon shot making as Simpkins and Bittle each hit 3-pointers.
Dez White answered for Oregon State with a 3-pointer of his own, but Oregon’s pressure kept the Beavers scrambling. With around 14 minutes remaining, a Phillips 3-pointer extended the lead to 58-46.
Still the Beavers fought back. Jorge Diaz Graham drilled a clutch 3-pointer that sparked a run, and combined with three free throws from Isaiah Sy, Oregon State suddenly pulled within three, 61-58.
But every time Oregon State closed the gap the Ducks answered. Shelstad hit a jumper, free throws, and then a deep 3-pointer to rebuild the cushion to nine.
Oregon continued drawing fouls and Bittle controlled the paint as the Ducks kept the Beavers from getting any closer.
As the final seconds ticked off, Oregon closed out an 87-75 win.
The officiating numbers were striking: Oregon State attempted 25 free throws and Oregon shot 39, for a total of 64 free throws between the teams. The Beavers were called for 27 fouls and the Ducks for 17, adding up to 44 fouls overall.
This is the most fouls ever committed in the Wayne Tinkle era, which was initially set in 2021 with 26 against Arizona.
Now the Beavers turn the page quickly as they travel to the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands. When asked about the upcoming tournament, Lake II made the team’s mindset clear, “First and foremost this is a business trip. We are there to win games, we are not there to mess around.”