Washington State goes cold in second half, squanders big lead in loss at Oregon State

Feb. 4, 2026 Updated Wed., Feb. 4, 2026 at 10:41 p.m.

From staff reports

CORVALLIS, Ore. – When Washington State guard Ace Glass knocked down a 3-pointer about three minutes into the second half, everything seemed to be going right for the Cougars.

Glass’ shot extended a big WSU run that extended back into the first half, and pushed the Cougars’ lead up to 16 points. By all appearances, WSU had found its offensive rhythm and was headed toward an impressive road win over Oregon State.

But as it turned out, Glass’ shot was about the last thing to go right for WSU, which fell into an offensive malaise and made only three more field goals over the final 17:22.

The Beavers rallied, overtaking the ice-cold Cougs with just over five minutes to play and handing WSU an agonizing 74-64 West Coast Conference loss on Wednesday night at Gill Coliseum.

The Cougars (11-14, 6-6 WCC) had their winning streak stopped at three games. They appeared well in control, entering halftime leading 34-23 after closing the first period on a 16-5 run. They opened the second with back-to-back 3s from Jerone Morton and Glass, and an ND Okafor free throw made the score 44-27, then it all went wrong.

WSU went the next 10 minutes without a field goal, and hit just 1 of 14 field-goal attempts over the following 15 minutes. The Beavers (13-12, 6-6) steadily climbed back, outscoring the Cougars 51-30 in the second half to win their third straight game.

Glass, the standout freshman, led WSU with 17 points, shooting 5 of 10 from beyond the arc, and Okafor, a post, added 13 points and six rebounds. The Cougars shot 32.1% from the field – their second-lowest field-goal percentage of the season – and 10 of 31 from 3-point range, staying alive with foul shots (20 of 26).

The Beavers, who lost to the Cougars by 14 points last month at the Spokane Arena, got 22 points from guard Josiah Lake, and 18 points and 15 rebounds from forward Johan Munch. OSU shot 39.1% for the game, 4 of 17 on 3s. But the Beavers shot 53.1% in the second half compared to WSU’s 25%.

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Washington State goes cold in second half, squanders big lead in loss at Oregon State

Jesse Tinsley

Jim Meehan

Molly Quinn

Rob Curley

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