via Oregon State Athletic Communications
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Michael Rataj scored 29 points to lead the Oregon State men’s basketball team to an 83-73 win over San Diego on Saturday afternoon at Jenny Craig Pavilion.
The Beavers (20-9, 10-6 WCC) reached the 20-win mark in the regular season for the first time since 1989-90 when Gary Payton led the team to 22 victories and a share of the Pac-10 Conference title.
This is the third time since 1990 that an Oregon State team won 20 games in a full season. The 2011-12 team went 21-15 with two wins in the Pac-12 Tournament and two in the CBI, while the 2020-21 squad finished 20-13 with three victories in the Pac-12 Tournament and three in the NCAA Tournament.
Trailing 42-37 early in the second half, Oregon State went on a 10-0 run to take the lead and held on for its second-consecutive true road win.
The Beavers completed the season sweep of the Toreros, and improved to 4-1 all-time in the series, as Rataj went 10-for-17 from the field, 7-for-8 from the stripe and 2-of-2 from deep for his 29 points. He added 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season.
Josiah Lake II had a great all-around game with 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Damarco Minor (12), Parsa Fallah (11) and Nate Kingz (11) were the other Oregon State players in double-figure scoring.
Johan Munch scored five points off the bench for the second-straight game, equaling his career best.
Eight different San Diego players scored in the first half as they combined to make six 3-pointers and hold a 40-37 lead at the break.
The Toreros (4-25, 1-15 WCC) were led by Kody Clouet’s 19 points.
The Beavers will next play their regular-season home finale when they host San Francisco (22-7, 12-4 WCC) at 8 p.m. on Wednesday at Gill Coliseum. Tickets to the Senior Night game can be purchased for as low as $5 by calling 541-737-2050 or clicking on this link.
