CORVALLIS — In the midst of a resurgent season, Wayne Tinkle and the Oregon State men’s basketball team earned their long-awaited victory Thursday.
The Beavers survived a thrilling shootout at Gill Coliseum to defeat 16th-ranked Gonzaga, 97-89, and earn their biggest victory in recent program history. It was OSU’s first win against a top-25 opponent since beating Arizona in Corvallis last January.
For a program that has been trying to reestablish its identity for half a decade, Thursday’s victory was crucial for Tinkle and his team in front of a packed house.
“You know, this young team is still learning. But it’s just a great way to come in tonight, draw that line in the sand and say, ‘Not tonight, we’re going to make this happen.'” , Tinkle said. “You all know my respect for this program, for (head coach Mark Few). They had an incredible performance. They beat us up on the boards. But our guys found a way to get through it. I Couldn’t be more proud.”
With the win, Oregon State improved to 14-5 on the year and 4-2 in the West Coast Conference. Gonzaga, meanwhile, fell to 14-5 and 5-1.
Junior forward Michael Rataj carried the Beavers to a career-high 29 points on 9-of-15 shooting. He scored 10 of those points in overtime, including a courageous three on Oregon State’s first possession of overtime to give the tone.
“I just felt like at some point my teammates trusted me to make the right plays,” Rataj said. “I was just trying to drive, make a shot and help us win. That’s what it’s all about.”
Sophomore guard Josiah Lake II and sophomore forward Liutauras Lelevicius each went just 1-of-2 from the field on the night. But OSU’s two starters nonetheless each had an outsized impact for the Beavers; With Oregon State leading 91-89 with 36 seconds left in overtime, Lelevicius drove his way to the basket for an acrobatic layup to make it a two-point game.
Lake forced a Gonzaga turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass and fouled out. He buried the pair of free throws to, for all intents and purposes, seal the victory for the Beavers.
“(OSU assistant coach Marlon Stewart) told me during the timeout, ‘I need you to get the ball. Whether it’s a rebound or a loose ball ‘” Lake said. “So, that’s something I had in mind. I just wanted to make winning plays for the team…”
Oregon State was badly outscored on the night by a margin of 41-28. The home team escaped Gill with a victory despite attempting 19 fewer goals than Gonzaga.
The Beavers stayed in contention in the first half thanks in large part to the shooting of senior guard Nate Kingz. A former McNary High star who missed last season with a knee injury, Kingz scored 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting in the first half. He finished the night with 20 points and finished tied for a team-high plus-15 box plus-minus.
“He was awesome,” Tinkle said of Kingz. “There were a few guys I was worried about in that environment, but he ate it all up. Man, he ate it up. He made some big shots for us and made some good plays for us.”
Oregon State was one stop away from winning the game in regulation. But Gonzaga big man Graham Ike, who finished with a team-high 26 points, hit a desperation 3-pointer with four seconds left to force overtime. It was his only attempt of the night from beyond the arc.
But Rataj’s 3-pointer to open overtime stabilized the Beavers. A little over a minute later, Rataj nailed a tough three-way takedown that gave OSU control of the match for good.
“We played a really, really good offense,” Few said. “We just couldn’t get consistent stops for longer stretches. I thought we came out in the second half and played with a little more intensity on the defensive end. (OSU) was still able to hitting some tough shots; they hit some real return-breakers there.
Oregon State’s victory Thursday took place in front of the first sellout for the school’s men’s basketball team since 2019. OSU reported an attendance of 9,301.
“We’re going to savor this one. It’s big for our program,” Tinkle said. “We’ve had some really big crowds at Gill and boy, when we pack this thing, we’re playing at a different level. I’ve been a little upset. The people that have come have been great. We’ve got a team that’s playing They’re playing together. We gotta pack this thing, man.
“If they didn’t deserve it tonight, shame on us. But I have a feeling it will be like this until the end.”
Jarrid Denney covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be contacted at JDenney@salem.gannett.com or at @jarrid_denney
This article was originally published in the Salem Statesman Journal: How Rataj led Oregon State to a thrilling win over Gonzaga
