Oregon State Struggles in Blowout Loss to Saint Mary’s, Offense Hits Season Low
For the first 14 minutes, Oregon State looked like it came to compete. But what started as a tight contest quickly unraveled into a long night in Moraga. By the final buzzer, the Beavers found themselves on the wrong end of an 81-51 loss to Saint Mary’s - their third 30-point defeat of the season and their worst shooting performance in nearly a decade.
Josiah Lake II was the lone bright spot for Oregon State. The sophomore guard poured in 17 points on an efficient 7-of-11 shooting night, including 3-of-4 from the free-throw line.
But outside of Lake, the Beavers couldn’t get much of anything going. No other Oregon State player reached double figures, and no one else made more than two field goals.
As a team, Oregon State shot just 28.6% from the field - their lowest mark since a December 2016 game against Portland - and an icy 12.5% from beyond the arc. The offense never found rhythm, and the second half only deepened the struggles. The Beavers failed to string together consecutive made baskets after halftime and managed just 25% shooting in the final 20 minutes.
“Offensively, really poor shooting night by us,” head coach Wayne Tinkle said postgame. “And then even defensively we had a hard time keeping the ball in front. We’re fighting for our lives and we’re trying to cut corners.”
Saint Mary’s, on the other hand, looked every bit the part of a team with 18 wins. The Gaels leaned on their depth and discipline, getting 16 points and 11 assists from guard Joshua Dent and another 15 points and six boards from forward Paulius Murauskas. They controlled the glass with a 44-28 rebounding advantage and hit 34.8% of their threes - not scorching, but more than enough to separate.
The turning point came late in the first half. With 5:55 left, Saint Mary’s held a slim 19-17 lead.
From there, they caught fire, hitting seven of their final nine shots before the break to build a 36-25 cushion. That momentum carried into the second half, where the Gaels opened up a 21-point lead and never looked back.
The win marked their 21st straight at home.
“We didn’t defend to start the second half, but we had some great looks,” Tinkle said. “Got to knock them down.”
Oregon State was also shorthanded, missing guard Dez White (10.3 ppg) due to a thigh bruise. His absence was felt on both ends, particularly in a game where the Beavers needed someone else to step up offensively.
“There will be some good in this,” Tinkle added. “A lot of it’s going to come down to we didn’t guard our man defensively in the second half and we missed a lot of opportunities offensively to put the ball in the bucket.”
Now sitting at 10-12 overall and 3-6 in WCC play, Oregon State has to regroup quickly. The conference schedule doesn’t get any easier, and the Beavers will need more than just one hot hand if they hope to turn things around.