Michael Rataj recorded 17 points and 11 rebounds, KC Ibekwe delivered clutch plays down the stretch, and Oregon State held off visiting Utah Valley for its third consecutive win, 74-71, on Saturday in Corvallis, Ore.
The Beavers (6-3) pulled ahead by two in what was a back-and-forth contest throughout on Ibekwe’s basket with 2:38 remaining. Ibekwe finished with eight points on 4-of-4 shooting.
Oregon State went the next 2:23 without a point, but its drought overlapped with a nearly three-minute scoreless spell for Utah Valley (6-4).
Ibekwe helped extend the Wolverines drought when he came up with a critical block of Caleb Stone-Carrawell with 31 seconds remaining, denying Utah Valley a would-be, game-tying layup.
The rejection — Ibekwe’s second of the day — led to two free throws from Jordan Pope to give Oregon State a four-point cushion. The Beavers needed it, as K’mani Doughty capped his 12-point performance for Utah Valley on a 3-pointer with six seconds to go.
The lead changed 15 times and there were 10 ties. Utah Valley led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but neither team had an advantage of more than four points in the second half.
Tyler Bilodeau put the game away for the Beavers with a pair of free throws in the final seconds, capping his 19-point performance. Bilodeau matched Stone-Carrawell for the game-high in scoring.
Tanner Toolson added 17 points for the Wolverines and his 3-of-6 shooting from behind the 3-point line paced Utah Valley to a 7-of-16 effort from deep. Oregon State went 7-of-18 from long range with six Beavers making at least one 3-point attempt.
Chol Marial was among that group. The 7-foot-2 Marial came off the bench to score seven points, grabbed four rebounds, and provided a shot-altering presence that included a pair of blocked shots. He helped spark Oregon State in the early second half.
–Field Level Media
