Corvallis, OR – In their second meeting of this season, Oregon State and Washington State faced off for the 301st time. The Cougars won the last contest in Pullman 59-55. The Beavers have won the last five in Corvallis dating back to 2014, and came off a dominating 91-71 performance against Washington.
This game went down to the final play despite Oregon State leading for 32:54 of the game. Washington State attempted 18 more field goals and 11 more three-pointers than the Beavers however, Oregon State still prevailed. They made 11-of-14 free throws in the last five minutes to secure a 68-66 home win. Washington State’s 6-5 sophomore Ryan Rapp led the game in scoring with 15 points (5-7 FG, 3-5 3FG, 2-2 FT) off the bench and 6-6 forward DJ Rodman (Dad NBA BHOF- Dennis Rodman) added 14 points (5-10 FG, 4-7 3 FG), both career highs.
The Beavers started the game making all four field goals by four different players (Alatishe, Reichle, Silva, and Lucas) to take an early 9-2 lead. The Cougars mounted a strong comeback led by 6-10 freshman forward Efe Abogidi (NBA Global Academy) who scored seven of the first 13 Cougars points. He would finish with 12 points (5-10 FG, 2-2 FT), and seven rebounds in 25 minutes. Abogidi is a player to keep on the radar the next several seasons. He has good size, strength, athleticism and a developing shooting touch. A three-pointer by 6-3 senior guard Isaac Bonton gave the Cougars a 34-32 halftime lead. Bonton had an off night, finishing with seven points (2-14 FG, 1-4 3FG, 2-3 FT), five rebounds and eight assists. In the previous three games, he had 20+ points and averages 18.8 points on the season. Oregon State conceded 16 points in the half off 12 turnovers to go along with giving up 18 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points. Jarod Lucas led all scorers at the break with 9 of his 12 points, followed by the Cougars talented 6-5 sophomore guard Noah Williams who scored 8 of 12 points (5-13 FG, 2-2 FT) and added four rebounds, and two assists in this half.
In the second half, the Beavers began the same way they started the game making four straight shots by four different players (Silva, Reichle, Alatishe, and Lucas) to regain the lead 40-34. Washington State would then have to play the majority of the second half without 6-10 freshman center Dishon Jackson who suffered an ankle injury and had to leave the game. The Beavers’ 6-5 senior guard Ethan Thompson scored eight important points in the final five minutes to play, making all six of his free throws to seal the victory.
Abogidi was fouled after making a slam dunk and sank the free throw to put the Cougars within three (67-64) with 11 seconds left. Bonton was then fouled on a three-point attempt with the score 68-64. He intentionally missed his last free throw to give his team a chance for an offensive rebound and putback. Oregon State’s 6-7 forward Warith Alatische secured his seventh rebound to end the game. 6-5 senior guard Zach Reichle scored 11 points (3-4 FG, 2-3 3 FG, 3-4 FT), and had five rebounds while five other Oregon State players contributed at least six points (Alastishe, Silva, Andela, Hunt, and Calloo).
Key Game Stats
FG%: Oregon State 47% (20-43) – Washington 39% (24-61)
Free Throws: Oregon State 23-31 – Washington State 10-11
Fast Break Points: Oregon State 10 – Washington State 6
Oregon State (10-7, 6-5) travels to play Colorado (14-5, 8-4) on February 8th while Washington State (11-8, 4-8) hosts UCLA (13-4, 9-2) on February 11th.
This article was written by Lorenzo Leaks, a scout and correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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