Oregon and Oregon State met for the final time in the regular season as Pac-12 Conference opponents on Wednesday night. The Ducks are still looking to secure a possible NCAA Tournament spot and get off of the bubble, but to do that they will likely need to win out.
Oregon and Oregon State are headed in opposite directions with Ducks in the top third of the standings. The Beavers were last in the conference entering the game,
Oregon State opened the game shooting 7 for 10 from the floor and kept up with Oregon matching the Ducks' scores over the first ten minutes of the game. Jordan Pope led the charge early for the Beavers with 10 points in the first eight minutes of the game.
The Beavers stayed with the Ducks through the first half. Rebounding in the first 20 minutes was the difference with Oregon holding a three rebound lead.
Oregon State shot better than 58 percent while Oregon was closer to 40 percent. Pope was the key for OSU with 15 first-half points. For the Ducks, N’Faly Dante was making his presence felt.
Dante had 7 points and 4 rebounds and was 1 for 2 from the free-throw line. Oregon had a slim 35-33 lead as the teams headed into the locker room.
As the second half started there was certainly urgency for Oregon to begin to take some control. It did not happen until a 6-0 run with just under 8 minutes left in the game. Oregon State would again keep it close, but Jermaine Couisnard hit two free throws to give the Ducks a 61-57 lead.
The Beavers would miss their next shot. Both teams would exchange multiple turnovers and missed shots. It was that kind of game for the in-state rivals.
Coiusnard and Kwame Evans Jr. gave the Ducks some breathing room and a 66-59 lead with just over five minutes to go. To that point, the game saw 11 lead changes and 12 ties.
OSU would go on a 6-0 run in 26 seconds to pull within four points before Brennan Rigsby pushed the lead back to six with just over a minute remaining.
In the end, the Ducks came away with the win 78-71.
It was a battle from beginning to end. It was clear that Oregon State gave their all in an attempt for the upset, but the final game between in-state Pac-12 rivals went to Oregon.
Oregon has three games left in the regular season and will head to Arizona on Saturday to take on the Wildcats. Tipoff is set for 11am Pacific time on ESPN.