Oregon State Women’s basketball Stays hot, wins rivalry matchup against Oregon

Fresh off of a comeback win at tenth-ranked UCLA, the Beavers stayed hot by beating the #14 ranked Oregon Ducks 88-77 in Eugene on Sunday, Feb. 28.

With the win, Oregon State managed to upend their rival after losing earlier in the season on the Beavers’ home court. At the same time, the win marked the first time Oregon State beat the Ducks in Eugene for the first time since 2017.  

Oregon State had six players score in double figures, led by senior guard Aleah Goodman and freshman guard Sasha Goforth, who scored 20 and 17 points, respectively.  Junior Taya Corosdale and junior Ellie Mack both added 14 points as well, while sophomore Taylor Jones and the freshman Talia von Oelhoffen rounded out the team’s double-digit scorers, with 11 and 10 of their own.  

After Oregon cut the lead to one point with 5:33 left in the 3rd quarter, the Beavers went on an 11-0 run and never allowed the Ducks to get back into the game.

What It Means

As of right now, Oregon State is on the bubble for the NCAA tournament, with ESPN currently projecting the Beavers as a 10-seed.  

But as far as the PAC-12 goes, Oregon State managed to take control of the five-seed heading into the conference tournament, where the Beavers will take on the 12-seed Cal Golden Bears at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 3.

Should Oregon State manage to beat the Golden Bears in convincing fashion, they could solidify themselves a spot in the NCAA tournament, and could even improve their seed if they carry the momentum of a three-game winning streak into the conferences postseason. 

Oregon State Men’s Basketball sweeps Bay-area schools, looks for First Round Bye in PAC 12 Tournament

Oregon State hangs on for nail-biting win at Cal

The Beavers used a strong second half to defeat the California Golden Bears 59-57 in Berkley on Thursday, Feb. 25.  Even in victory, Oregon State shot 0-10 from beyond the arc, marking the first time since 2012 that they’ve won a game without making a three.  

Oregon State got an offensive spark from senior center Roman Silva, who scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half.  Senior guard Ethan Thompson scored 12 points and had three assists, while sophomore guard Jarod Lucas added 10 points of his own in the close victory. 

After trailing 33-28 at the halftime break, the Beavers’ defense clamped down and allowed just 24 points in the second half.  Despite a late-game push from Cal, Oregon State forced a turnover in the final seconds to secure the victory.  

Oregon State beats Stanford, completes sweep of Bay-area schools

The Beavers pulled away late on Feb. 27 to a double-digit, 73-62 victory over Stanford.  Coming off of a game where they failed to record a single three-point shot, the Oregon State offense hit five throughout the contest.  

Sophomore guard Jarod Lucas exploded for 26 points, a career-high, powered by a 10 of 11 showing from the free-throw line.  Senior guard Ethan Thompson scored 13 points and added three assists, while junior forward Warith Alatishe added 10 points and two assists.  

After having their lead cut to two with 5:33 remaining, the Beavers used a 9-0 run to seal the Cardinal’s fate.  On a night without leading-scorer Oscar De Silva, Stanford struggled against Oregon State’s stingy defense.  With the win, Oregon State improved to 9-9 in Pac-12 play and 13-11 overall on the season.  The Beavers have now won their last two games in Palo Alto.  

What It Means

After going 2-0 on the California road trip, the Beavers sit just half a game behind Stanford for the fifth-place spot in the conference.  With the Arizona Wildcats being ineligible for the PAC-12 tournament this year due to a self-imposed postseason ban, the top five seeds will receive a first-round bye in an 11-team format.

As of right now, Oregon State’s postseason hopes are very much alive, however, currently sitting just two games above .500, they will likely need to win the PAC-12 tournament, being held from March 7th to the 10th. 

Oregon State will close out the regular season by playing at Utah (10-11, 7-10 PAC-12) on Wednesday, March 3, and playing Oregon (16-5, 11-4 PAC-12) at home on Sunday, March 7 to close the season.  In previous games against Utah and Oregon earlier this season, the Beavers beat both teams by double-digits.