Oregonians Pace Comeback Victory Over Oregon State

Thursday, November 21

Corvallis, OR

7:00 PM

University of Oregon

5-0,0-0Big Ten

Oregon State

4-1,0-0WCC

Oregon

Oregon St.

Oregonians Pace Comeback Victory Over Oregon State

11/21/24 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon natives Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad refused to leave Corvallis on the losing end of this one, willing the Ducks to a 78-75 win over the in-state rival Beavers.

Oregon trailed by as many as 12 points late in the second half and for 32 minutes of the game, but the Ducks kept clawing and took their second lead of the game with 3 minutes left in the game. Bittle was a force down low, notching a career-best 23 points (10-16 FG), along with a new career-high of 14 rebounds, with three blocks and three assists.

"He had a heck of a game," Head Coach Dana Altman said. "He was 10-for-13 inside, 14 rebounds, they had a hard time with him. He just played his tail off, had a great game."

Shelstad dished out six assists in the first half, as he struggled from the field, but the West Linn native found his stride in the second half, finishing with 15 total points and 11 in the second half. OSU was paced by 20 points from Michael Rataj, but the Ducks were able to hold Rataj to just five points in the second half. In the end, Oregon came away with their fourth consecutive one-possession road victory over the Beavs, and the eighth in a row overall.

How It Happened: Oregon State grabbed momentum quickly in the first half, jumping out to a 12-5 lead after an eight-zero run behind double-digit first halves from Rataj (15 points) and Liutauras Lelevicius (13 points). The Ducks remained stagnant until the second unit cut the Beavers lead to 20-18 after five quick points from Keeshawn Barthelemy and Supreme Cook.

"If you were watching that at home, they just outworked us in the first half," said Altman. "We were just stuck in the mud, didn't take anything away defensively and they dominated us on the boards. They just beat us in every facet of the game. I'm really disappointed, we just didn't play hard enough."

OSU slowed the Oregon momentum and pushed their lead to 11 after a 9-0 run from Rataj and Lelevicius. As the half ended, Oregon fought back and cut the lead to five, 40-35, with two minutes left in the half. Sloppy play and turnovers helped the Beavers push the lead to 10, 47-37, at the halftime break.

The first seven minutes of the second half were forgetful from the Oregon side, as OSU held strong to a double-digit lead as the under-twelve media timeout loomed. UO responded with a six-point run behind baskets from Bittle and Jadrian Tracey. The two teams then traded possessions as the Beavers held a five-point lead for the middle portion of the half.

"Defensively, we just turned things around in the second half," Altman said. "We started rebounding the ball a little better, Nate really got it going inside and our guys got him the ball, he had a heck of a game."

Oregonian Jackson Shelstad found his rhythm with two consecutive three-pointers, pacing a 14-3 run, alongside Bittle's career night as he eclipsed 20 points. A third Shelstad triple gave Oregon a 74-72 lead with 2:30 remaining. Oregon State's Josiah Lake II got fouled on the OSU end and hit one-of-two free throws, cutting the Ducks lead to one.

With 30 seconds to play, Shelstad drove down the left side and hit a tough runner to push Oregon's lead back to three. OSU again headed to the charity stripe during their possession and cut the lead to one. With 14 seconds left and the game on the line, Tracey was fouled and calmly hit both free throws to clinch the victory.

Notable: The Ducks were paced by Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad. Bittle eclipsed career highs in both points (23) and rebounds (14), adding four blocks and three assists. Shelstad scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, with four clutch field goals as time expired.

Up Next: The Ducks are off to Las Vegas for three games as part of the Players Era Festival, tipping off against Texas A&M on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 1:30 p.m. PT (TNT).