CORVALLIS, Ore. — In an exciting showdown on Thursday night, Nate Biddle delivered a stellar performance, scoring 17 of his career-best 23 points in the second half and securing a personal record of 14 rebounds. His efforts helped the Oregon Ducks stage a comeback against their long-standing rival, Oregon State, finishing the game with a close score of 78-75.
Jackson Shelstad also contributed significantly to the Ducks’ victory, adding 15 points to the scoreboard. His key 3-pointer allowed Oregon to seize the lead at 74-73 with just 2:43 remaining, followed by a tough contested layup that extended their lead to 76-73 with only 29.5 seconds on the clock.
As the game neared its end, Parsa Fallah successfully shot two free throws for the Beavers, while Jadrian Tracey responded with two for the Ducks within 14 seconds left in regulation. However, a last-ditch 3-pointer from Oregon State’s Michael Rataj fell short as time expired.
This win marks the Ducks’ seventh consecutive victory in this fierce rivalry, with four of those wins secured by margins of three points or fewer on Oregon State’s home court.
The game saw Damarco Minor open the scoring for OSU with a three-pointer at 11:49, giving them a solid lead of 61-49. The Ducks then ignited a comeback, launching a 10-2 scoring run to narrow the deficit to 63-59. Minor responded with another three-pointer, pushing the Beavers’ lead to 66-59 with just over eight minutes to play.
Shelstad continued to shine for Oregon, nailing two three-pointers, the latter of which capped off a 10-0 run that put the Ducks ahead 69-66 for the first time since leading 5-4 earlier.
For the Ducks, both Jadrian Tracey and Keeshawn Barthelemy also played pivotal roles, each contributing 10 points. On the opposing side, Rataj led the scoring for the Beavers with 20 points along with 10 rebounds, while Liutauras Lelevicius scored 13 points, all in the first half, and Fallah added 11 points.
The first half saw Rataj and Lelevicius combining for 33 points as OSU took a substantial 47-37 lead into halftime. A highlight of the first half involved Minor’s steal that led to a failed layup, yet teammate Matthew Marsh managed to tip-in the ball just as the buzzer sounded, enhancing the Beavers’ advantage in second-chance points to 11-0.
However, after shooting at a notable 49% in the first half, the Beavers struggled in the second half, hitting only 28% of their attempts while committing nine turnovers. Conversely, Oregon thrived, shooting 50% and limiting themselves to just three turnovers after the intermission.
Looking ahead, Oregon State is set to face North Texas in an away game on Monday, marking the lone away contest in their first ten matchups. Meanwhile, Oregon will take on Texas A&M on Tuesday in Las Vegas.