Washington St. @ Oregon St. preview
Gill Coliseum
Last Meeting ( Dec 2, 2020 ) Oregon St. 55, Washington St. 59
Resurgent Washington State will attempt to complete a road sweep of the Pac-12's Oregon schools when they visit Oregon State on Saturday night in Corvallis, Ore.
After a six-game losing streak, the Cougars (11-7, 4-7) have won two in a row on the road, beginning with last Sunday's 77-62 triumph at rival Washington.
The Cougars then rode the momentum of that win to a 74-71 upset at Oregon on Thursday, with Portland native Isaac Bonton leading the way with 23 points.
The Cougars have not won at Oregon State since January of 2013. They lost their last five in Corvallis by an average of 16.2 points. Washington State has also dropped 10 of its last 11 at Oregon State.
"I don't like to lose against any Oregon schools. I have a big chip on my shoulder about that," Bonton said after Thursday's win. "My teammates knew that, so having them coming in just ready to go to work in the trenches with me, it's just great. And coaches did a great job, too."
Bonton, a senior who began his college career at Montana State, is averaging 18.8 points per game this season. He had 15 when Washington State won 59-55 at home over Oregon State in early December, but shot just 4 of 18 from the field.
DJ Rodman (13 points), Noah Williams (12) and Aljaz Kunc (12) also scored in double figures during the first meeting against the Beavers in a balanced Cougars attack.
The Cougars shot just 32.8 percent in the game, but Oregon State wasn't much better at 35.6 percent. Zach Reichle paced the Beavers with 12 points, while Warith Alatishe recorded an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Oregon State (9-7, 5-5) also will be looking for an unbeaten week, having dispatched of Washington 91-71 at home on Thursday. Alatishe had his fourth double-double of the season (15 points, 11 rebounds) in the win, which saw all five Beavers starters score in double figures.
"We went into the game with the mindset of moving the ball, moving yourself and sharing it," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. "In games where we've had success to this point, it's very evident that's what the key is."
Jarod Lucas led the Beavers with 19 points, while Reichle had 17, Ethan Thompson 16 and Ramon Silva 14.
Thompson, the Beavers' leading scorer at 16.3 points per game, was held to just nine points on 3-for-11 shooting in the earlier loss at Washington State.
--Field Level Media