Pepperdine Men’s basketball accepted defeat against Oregon State University on Feb. 20 in Firestone Fieldhouse.
Head Coach Ed Schilling said that despite the loss, the team put up a good game, staying toe-to-toe with the Beavers.
“I give our guys credit,” Schilling said. “They fought really hard against a really good team.”
Redshirt senior forward Boubacar Coulibaly kicked the first half off with a layup for the Waves.
Oregon State called a timeout early in the first quarter after they fouled for the third time. After, junior guard Moe Odum secured two free throws for the Waves, making the score 12-6.
The Beavers got the ball back and scored. Odum then passed the ball to sophomore forward Dovydas Butka for a layup in the paint.
The Waves’ offense held a heavy lead against the Beavers at the beginning of the first half, with the score being 18-10 in favor of the Waves.
Schilling said that Pepperdine’s offense remained strong in the first half of this game, where Pepperdine was able to gain a lead on the Beavers.
“We shared the ball pretty well and took advantage of what they gave us,” Schilling said.
However, the Beavers slowly crept in throughout the first quarter, closing the score gap and making the score 23-19 causing Pepperdine to take a timeout.
Coulibaly came out of the timeout with a dunk to make the score 25-22 Waves.
This game was huge for Coulibaly where he lead the team in points with 20 and in rebounds with 11. His goals for the game surpassed his performance and reflected onto the team.
“Play hard, lead the team as a senior and lead the team with my energy,” Coulibaly said.
Freshman guard Jaxon Olvera made a three-pointer to bring the score to 29-26 Waves.
After a three-point jumper by Oregon State, the Beavers successfully took the lead back with a score of 31-29, causing Pepperdine to call a timeout.
OSU held a strong offense against Pepperdine, coming back and battling Pepperdine for the lead.
“They have such good shooters, but they also have the good inside, so you have to pick your poison a little bit,” Schilling said. “They were really dominant inside tonight, and that’s where they really got us.”
Pepperdine came out of the timeout ready to work.
After an assist by Odum, Butka went for a layup in the paint tying up the score 33-33.
In the next play, Coulibaly went for a dunk bringing the score 35-33 for the Waves, giving them back the lead.
After a foul by Pepperdine, the Beavers made a free throw taking back their lead and the first half 38-37.
At the beginning of the second half, a three-pointer by Odum allowed Pepperdine to score 40-42
Oregon State, however, pushed through Pepperdine’s defensive efforts and made the score 53-42.
Odum shot a three-pointer, and Coulibaly followed with another dunk, bringing the score to 47-53.
After two three-pointers by Odum and senior forward Stefan Todorovic, the Beavers took a timeout.
OSU followed by securing a three-pointer, but they fouled, allowing Coulibaly to secure a free throw, bringing the score to 60-56 with the Beavers in the lead.
Pepperdine slowly attempted to climb back offensively, taking the score to 59-62, but their defense couldn’t slow the Beavers, and they remained in the lead.
Todorovic said that Pepperdine kept morale and didn’t say the game was over until the buzzer rang.
“We stayed composed in moments where we were down and came back in the game,” Todorovic said.
With two minutes on the clock, Oregon State fouled, allowing Odum to make a free throw, closing the scoring gap to 74-69.
With 30 seconds on the clock, Todorovic went up for a layup in an attempt to close the gap, making the score 82-78.
However, a foul on Pepperdine caused OSU to get the free throw ending the game in an Oregon State victory, 84-78.
Todorovic said that he believes the team must take every game as a learning opportunity.
“All of these games are for us to learn and step in the right direction as players and as a team,” Todorovic said.
The Waves move to 10-18 overall and 4-11 conference game record. Pepperdine plans to take on Loyola Marymount University at the Gersten Pavillion on Feb. 21.
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Contact Haylie Ross via email: haylie.ross@pepperdine.edu
