Gonzaga Basketball was looking to complete the sweep over the WCC newcomers, Washington State and Oregon State. After beating Wazzu at home on Saturday, the Bulldogs went on the road to play the Beavers, who had its first sell-out in years.
It was a game where the underdogs struck first, up eight towards the end of the first half. Gonzaga went on a big run of its own to be up six with around 15 minutes to go, with it becoming a close battle that went to OT after a Graham Ike three-pointer. But once he fouled out, Oregon State’s frontcourt took over in the extra frame, ultimately winning 97-89 in OT to give Gonzaga its first loss in league play.
Here are the keys to the Bulldogs’ latest setback.
1. Beavers frontcourt outplayed the Bulldogs frontcourt
Gonzaga has one of the best frontcourts in the nation in Ike and Ben Gregg, who combined for 41 points and 22 rebounds in a fantastic outing. However, they weren’t able to withstand Oregon State’s duo of Michael Rataj (29 points) and Parsa Fallah (16 points), who outscored the Bulldogs inside. Rataj had 10 points in the extra five minutes alone to be a clear MVP of the game.
2. Recent defensive woes coming back to cost them
Gonzaga is easily the top offense in WCC play. But defensively, they’ve been in the middle of most categories, giving up 80+ points to Pepperdine and San Diego. The 97 points allowed and 58% shooting from the Beavers were season-highs for the Bulldogs, who have been trending downward in league play. This time, it truly came back to haunt them.
3. How turnovers and rebounds ended up in Oregon State’s favor
What’s surprising is that despite Oregon State having a prolific offensive night, Gonzaga had a chance because they did well in other areas. The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Beavers 41-28, including 19 offensive rebounds. But only getting 17 second-chance points out of it feels like a missed opportunity.
The same goes with the turnovers, as Gonzaga only had 12 total in 45 minutes. But the Beavers made them pay with 20 points off those turnovers in the win. In close games that come down to critical possessions, the Bulldogs continue to find ways to come up short.