Gonzaga went on a tough road trip down south to Corvallis, Oregon, to take on Oregon State. The Beavers entered the game not playing great, sitting at just 3-2 in conference play, good for sixth place. Gonzaga on the other hand, was doing much better, sitting at 5-0 in conference play, and sitting tied for first place.
Gonzaga came in as the favorites on the road, as they seemed close to unstoppable after starting WCC play. Oregon State also hadn’t been great this season, headlined by a 20 point loss to LMU, making it seem tough for the Beavers to have a chance to win.
Regardless, it was a thriller.
Oregon State took an early lead, and held it throughout the half. The Beavers held the lead by four just seconds before the half, but Khalif Battle hit a three to cut the lead to one at the half.
The halftime score was 46-45, Beavers.
The second half was just as even, with neither team able to pull away. Late in the game, it was tied up with two minutes to go. Both teams traded buckets, but with 10 seconds left, Oregon State led by three. Ryan Nembhard drove in, lost his balance, and kicked it out to Graham Ike, who nailed a massive three to tie the game! On the other end, Damarco Minor missed the game winning three, and the game went into overtime.
In overtime, the Beavers dominated. Oregon State outplayed the Zags all five minutes, and were able to come out with an incredible upset, winning 97-87.
Michael Rataj had a legendary game for the Beavers, finishing with 29 points and 7 rebounds, leading the charge. Nate Kingz had a big night as well, putting up 20 points. Parsa Fallah and Damarco Minor were great as well, finishing with 16 and 15 points, respectively.
The Zags were led by Graham Ike, who put up 26 points and 9 rebounds. Ben Gregg helped a ton, with 15 and 13, and Ryan Nembhard had a great all around game. Regardless, the stats didn’t matter too much, as the Zags went down to the Beavers.
Oregon State got a massive win, and now sits at tied for fourth in the conference, while Gonzaga sits at second. The game just shows how great the WCC is as a whole, and how quick things can spice up. The conference is only getting more interesting, and the champion will have to have a mix of consistency and the ability to win big time games.