The Oregon State Men’s Basketball team stunned the Washington State Cougars in their first game of the month with a 17-point comeback to win 74-64 in Gill Coliseum.
The Beavers and Cougars both sported records near the .500 mark, giving the sign for a competitive game.
The contest began with defense dominating from both sides. Within the first five minutes, both teams collectively had put 10 points on the board. Washington State’s ND Okafor recorded three blocks in this span of time.
Some offensive struggles led to OSU’s Josiah Lake II being subbed out for Keziah Ekissi, who was quick to make his mark with a bucket and an assist in his earlier minutes.
“We went with some guys longer than we normally have off the bench, and they responded,” Head Coach Wayne Tinkle said.
Oregon State was able to shake off some rust and gain a 15-12 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half.
The biggest impact to Oregon State’s struggles from the field was Johan Munch, who normally shoots 50% on field goals, had started 0-5 on his shots to start.
“I was super proud of Johan for getting back up. I was worried for him when he went out, but he came back and had a great second half,” Lake II said.
Keeping hope alive was OSU’s Olavi Suutela, who had started 3-4 from the field and was leading the Beavers in scoring. With less than 20 seconds left, he made it 4-5 with a three point shot, which would be the last shot of the half.
The Cougars led 34-23.
The second half immediately saw improvement from Munch, who put up six points in the first five minutes.
“People played hard, enthusiasm is contagious, and then everybody gets going, I get going,” Munch said.
However, Washington State saw no slowing down on offense to start the second half. This was showcased by another 3-pointer from Ace Glass taken from near half court.
The Cougars continued to live at the free throw line, shooting nine more free throws than Oregon State.
Both teams had an even amount of turnovers throughout the game, but Washington State had begun widening the gap with their own offensive struggles.
The Beavers finally managed to gain a lead thanks to the combined effort of Lake II, who now led the team with 16 in scoring, and Munch, who despite being subbed out for foul trouble, was second with 11.
The duo’s production continued to give the Beavers a lead, now up by eight. However, WSU’s Rihards Vavers was able to make a 3-point shot to finally break their scoring streak.
This last second effort would not matter, as OSU held on to win 74-64, completing the triumphant comeback.
Lake II played the most of any player with 38 minutes and also finished with a team high 22 points.
“Jo-Jo is a warrior, he’s been through a lot with our program. He’s earned everything that he’s gotten,” Tinkle said.
The Beavs will remain at Gill and look to play Gonzaga, who are coming off an upset loss to Portland on Wednesday. The contest will tipoff at 3 p.m. on Feb. 7.