After being ‘punked’ by Oregon State in OT TAB, Gonzaga was looking to turn the manuscript at the second meeting with Beavers

Over the past two weeks, Gonzaga players and coaches have used a number of words to characterize the recent performances that have not matched the high standards of the program.

“Death.”

“Embarrassed.”

“Super frustrating.”

Senior Tip Ben Gregg pulled out another period on Saturday to describe what happened the last time Gonzaga was facing Oregon State and where Bulldogs need to improve to avenge a 97-89 overtime loss in Corvallis two weeks ago.

“I feel like we were punked the last time we played them,” said Gregg, a native from Oregon, recruited by Wayne Tinkle’s staff at Oregon State who came out of Clackama’s High School. “I want to be punked personally. So yes, it’s something I have to see inside myself and find out what to do and come in with a better mentality and not let it happen again. “

Gonzaga’s latest result, a 43-point rut of Portland in the Chile Center, was a positive step at a time when Mark Few’s program couldn’t settle for anything less, but the team’s progress is probably not measured until the bulldogs get through a challenging two -Pils West Coast Conference stretch, which begins on Tuesday at home against Oregon State (8 pm, ESPN2) and resumes Saturday with a visit to Saint Mary’s (8 pm, ESPN).

Players and coaches confronted harsh truths about where the zags were after admitting 200 points in consecutive losses to Oregon State and Santa Clara, and few said the team would start “at Ground Zero” when they returned to the practice. a few days later. Gonzaga did not leave much doubt in his next game and reached the century brand with almost three minutes to play in Portland while turning the pilots over 15 times.

Afterwards, a few were asked how much Zags could take from a blowing gain against a WCC team at the bundle level, which they are expected to beat properly.

More than one would imagine, it turns out.

“We don’t usually win like that on the road, and frankly we got out of two losses,” few said. “There is a lot to learn from this. You wonder what the answer will be. We do not lose much up there, very rarely loses two in a row. So the practice was difficult, the times are a little tense and you don’t quite know how your team will react. It was a great answer. “

As for how much is translated against an overall Oregon State team? It still needs to be determined.

Gonzaga can’t expect things to come just as easy on Tuesday against a Beaver’s team that shot 58% off the field and got to the bad line 37 times while scoring a season high 97 points at the last meeting.

Beavers put these numbers in front of a sale home audience at Gill Coliseum – the school’s first since 2019. Inevitably, it will be more difficult to repeat this level of production against a gonzaga team that has made lineup and schematic changes to tackle concerns on the defensive end. Furthermore, it may be difficult for OSU to repeat the same offensive numbers on the road, where Beavers are only 1-4 this season and an average of 71.6 points.

“We don’t lose games, especially two in a row,” Gregg said on Saturday. “Every game from here and out becomes a super bowl for us, because that’s how everyone treats it when they come in and play us. It’s the same approach we need to have, even if we play, no matter what it is. It will be another approach that I think, and of course it also helps to play at home. “

Few identified defensive breakdowns at all five positions when Zags and Beavers met two weeks ago and the box’s score reflected just as much.

Michael Rataj, a 6-foot-9 forward that ranks number two in the WCC an average of 21.7 points per Camp (conference game only), scored 29 against GU and comes from a 30-point excursion against Santa Clara. Nate Kingz, a 6-foot-5-guard, made a trio with 3-Pointers on the way to a 20-point evening. Gonzaga at times had problems containing 6-foot point-guard Damarco Minor and fought at the opposite end of the spectrum with 6-foot-9 Bruising Center Parsa Fallah, which had 16 points.

“It’s a big, physical team,” few said. “They stuck us in many positions. Their Point Guard played well, their big wing shot the ball really well, their big went to us. So they are a handful. Tink has mixed his defense well, so it’s a short turn. We play them in a few days so we will have to come after that. “

Winning on Tuesday would push Gonzaga (15-6, 6-2) two matches ahead of Oregon State (16-6, 7-3) in the WCC position and give the bulldogs their first win over Beavers since 1932. Osu’s overtime victory in Corvallis gave also Beavers their 13th win in a row in the series.

“At home, need that dub,” said senior prelude Michael Ajayi. “They had us back in Oregon and we can’t wait. We start our coverage and all that tomorrow, so no time off. We are ready for them. “