The path to rebuilding a college basketball program is anything but linear or predictable. It’s complete with ups and downs, setbacks and lessons. , in the middle of a men’s basketball retool this season, experienced all the above in . Before a crowd of 7,270 that included a reported Gill record number of OSU students, the Beavers (10-19, 4-14 Pac-12) gave a spirited, and much of the time, effective performance. But there were a few too many lulls — particularly at the start of both halves — and lack of execution at crucial moments that proved too much to overcome. “We’re well past moral victories. We expect more than that. … It should sting. We expected to win this game,” Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. Though minutes after the game it was difficult to feel anything other than hurt and dejection, what Oregon State will see when it watches video was a well-played game for most of 40 minutes. Outside of finding an answer for 7-footer N’Faly Dante, the Beavers’ defense handcuffed the Ducks for most of the game. Oregon shot 39. 7% from the floor. Despite a significant size advantage, the Ducks only outrebounded OSU 36-32. Dante had half of Oregon’s rebounds. Offensively, the Beavers took time to get into a flow. But Tinkle noted that OSU picked up its pace and it led to some quality offensive opportunities. The Beavers shot 45. 8% (22 of 48), their second-best shooting performance over the past nine games. Oregon State made eight three-pointers, a number that hasn’t been exceeded since hitting 13 against California on Jan. 22. Add the season’s most electric home crowd — Tinkle noted the student participation of nearly 2,800 was “incredible … big time” — and it led to a quality game that was riveting to watch through Rivaldo Soares’ game-winner with 0. 6 seconds left. “It was a hell of a rivalry game,” Tinkle said. “We found a group that got it going for us and some guys responded off the bench, and that’s a good thing. ” One sign of growth was Oregon State refusing to buckle when things got difficult. The Ducks had OSU on its heels at the outset of both halves. Leading 43-33 early in the second half, Oregon had momentum and the Beavers had few answers. OSU turned to its defense to slow down Oregon, and eventually the offense got going. “It was our talking, during timeouts and on the court. Whether it be encouraging talk, or anything from the bench. Then, just playing as hard as we can,” said junior guard Dexter Akanno, who led Oregon State with 17 points. The Beavers’ older players led the way. The veterans haven’t always delivered this season, but Akanno and seniors Rodrigue Andela and Dzmitry Ryuny were important Saturday. The 6-foot-8 Andela, giving away four inches to Dante, had 10 points and seven rebounds over 22 minutes. Ryuny hit some timely threes and was helpful in speeding up the pace of play by zipping passes up the floor. “It started with practice,” Akanno said. “The coaches kind of gave us a sense of urgency. ” Tinkle was particularly proud of Akanno, who made his first start since Arizona State on Feb. 2. Akanno hit 5 of 8 shots, including three threes, and didn’t commit a turnover in 29 minutes. Tinkle said Akanno earned a starting berth after an encouraging week of practice. “We were waiting for him to clear this up here,” said Tinkle, pointing to his head, “and give us that fire and leadership that we know he’s capable of. ” Win or lose, one positive that comes out of this game was the offensive improvement. Sixty-seven points might not sound like a lot, but through 18 conference games, the Beavers have scored more than 67 points four times. For only the fifth time this season, OSU had a positive assist-to-turnover ratio (13 to 8). “The guys finally bought into playing with more pace and tempo,” Tinkle said. “We don’t want to walk it up and get it to the end of the shot clock. ” In the end, though, no moral victories. There are at least three more opportunities to increase the season’s 10-win total: next week’s homestand against Stanford and California, and the Pac-12 tournament March 8-11 in Las Vegas. “Our guys have been working their asses off and have been deserving of more,” Tinkle said. “I thought we put ourselves in a great position to get one, which would have been real satisfying. ” |.