Although Oregon (5-0) fell behind as much as 12 points on Thursday night in Corvallis, Nate Bittle’s 23 point 14 rebound performance fueled the Ducks to a gutsy comeback win against their rival Beavers (4-1). 

“We were down 12 with 13:45 to go, we were in bad shape, but I’m really pleased with the way the guys picked up the defense, we had some steals. Our defensive activity got better,” head coach Dana Altman said. 

The earliest meeting — season-wise — between the Ducks and the Beavers in this sport’s history could not have had a much better lead-in. Both squads entered the rivalry matchup carrying undefeated, 4-0 records, but only one team could take the game tonight. One thing remained evident, however, which was that this game was the biggest on the calendar so far for both schools. 

The Beavers jumped out to a hot start, as the home team shot to an 8-0 run in just the first five minutes of the contest. Of the first 12 Oregon State points, eight were scored by Michael Rataj, who finished with 20 points. 

That run had Gill Coliseum rocking early on, but Oregon responded with a 6-0 run of its own to get back into the contest. 

Oregon struggled to maintain a firm presence in the game during the opening half due to Oregon State’s efficient three point shooting — 3-5 in the first 10 minutes — and the Beavers ability to out rebound the Ducks.  

The Ducks kept fighting back within five points, but every time they would get close, the offense stagnated. Oregon State’s command of the paint defensively killed Oregon’s offense, as the Ducks were forced to settle for contested threes without the ability to sniff the interior. 

This dominance culminated in a 9-0 Oregon State run towards the end of the half, which was aided by an Oregon scoreless streak of almost three minutes. The Beavers switched into zone at this point, which quickly led to buckets inside from both Keeshawn Barthelemy and Kwame Evans Jr. 

The Ducks strung that into a 6-0 run, but a Rataj and-one killed that momentum, and a halftime buzzer-beater tip-in moved all that momentum to Oregon State

Oregon lost the rebounding battle in the first half 20-13, which helped put the Beavers ahead 47-37 to start the second half. 

“They got everything they wanted in the first half. They shot almost 50 percent and scored 47 points,” Altman said. “We made so many defensive mistakes, doubling off the wrong guys, just no discipline defensively. It was an embarrassing half of defense.” 

The second began similarly as the first, as the Beavers dominated defensively and generated enough offense to leave Oregon in the dust. 

Unlike the first half, the contest saw a significantly less amount of runs from either side. A substantial run from the Ducks would have given them a route back on Thursday night, but that seemed to never come. 

“The last 13:45, we were a different team,” Altman said. 

Until the Beavers switched back into their zone. A Brandon Angel layup and Jadrian Tracey three chipped the lead to just six. 

The lead was then cut to just two by a Jackson Shelstad corner triple off a turnover and Bittle came back down the court to tie it with a N’Faly Dante-esque post hook.  

“I can play inside, outside, but my shot hasn’t been falling lately, so I got to go inside, that’s where I’ve been scoring. My teammates trust me and throw me the ball,” Bittle said. 

It became anyone’s game with just over six minutes to play after Oregon’s 7-0 run. Another Shelstad three took the lead after holding it for just 58 seconds in the first half. 

That run was coupled with the fact that OSU didn’t sink a field goal for over five minutes, but the few free throws it had kept the Beavers in the game. It was Shelstad’s time to shine, however, as he made his third straight attempt from beyond the arc for his 13th of 15 points. 

Shelstad struck again with a tough floater while up one to give the Ducks a three point lead with 25 seconds remaining. The Beavers would have one more opportunity to salvage what once looked like a definite victory for the home team. 

“That’s trusting all the work I’ve put in. I wasn’t really thinking about making or missing, I was trusting my work and getting to my spot. It felt good coming off my hands and I wasn’t surprised when it went in, those are shots I work on everyday,” Shelstad said. 

Rataj missed a three as time expired, and the Ducks secured a gutsy, 3-point win — 78-75. 

Oregon heads to Las Vegas to take on Texas A&M in the Players Era invitational on Tuesday.