Oregon State Women’s Basketball Starts Out Three Game Road Stint on Fire

On Friday, Feb. 19th the Oregon State Women’s Basketball Team faced off at USC for the first time of the 2021 season, where the Beavers came out hot, zooming right past the Trojans 77-52.

Coming off of a postponed game versus the California Golden Bears on Feb. 14th, the Beavers looked against USC like they had not lost a step. The team dominated the Trojans throughout the first two quarters in the paint, with a combined 18 points coming from down low, compared to USC’s six. The offense was also able to shoot lights out before halftime, with 50% from the field and 54% from three. 

Going into the third and fourth quarters, the Beavers were able to stay hot on both sides of the ball. Going 13 for 23 from the field in the second half, the Beavers were able to extend their lead to its highest point to 29 points and didn’t allow for the Trojans to cut it back within 25 points for the remainder of the game. 

Freshman Talia von Oelhoffen stood out for Oregon State, setting her individual career scoring high with 19 points, while senior Aleah Goodman and junior Ellie Mack were able to combine for 30 points together. Sophomore Taylor Jones grabbed 13 of the Beavers’ 44 rebounds throughout the game. 

Oregon State Women’s Basketball Upsets No.8 UCLA 

Coming off of their statement win at USC, the Beavers set out to stay hot. Oregon State’s second to last regular season matchup ended up being a thriller upset with a 71-64 victory over No. 8 UCLA on Feb. 21. 

The Bruins were able to start off on the right foot in the first quarter with a 18-13 lead, while racking up seven free throws early in the game. In the second quarter, the Beavers continued to battle, shooting 45% on 20 attempts from the field, while holding their opponents to 23.53%. This allowed for Oregon State to take a 36-31 lead going into halftime. 

UCLA was able to fight back into the game coming out of the half by taking back the lead 52-51 before heading into the final quarter of the tightly contested PAC-12 matchup. The Beavers’ defense would end up holding the Bruins to 20.83% shooting from the field and 20% from beyond the arc in the final quarter, which helped them build and maintain a seven point lead that lasted until the final buzzer. 

The Beavers were led in points by Aleah Goodman with 20, Taylor Jones with, and Talia von Oelhoffen, who added 13 of her own. Jones ended the game with 11 rebounds, earning herself a double-double. While the team as a unit, shot 43.3% from the field and 37.5% from three. 

The Oregon State Beavers look to use this late-season momentum in their final regular-season matchup against the rival, fourteenth-ranked Oregon Ducks next Sunday, Feb. 28 in Eugene. 

Oregon State Men’s Basketball Extends Home Win Streak to Five Straight 

The Oregon State Beavers matched up against the Utah Utes on Feb. 18th at Gill Coliseum after a four day break from their last game. The Beavers were able to control the entirety of the game, winning 74-56. 

The Beavers defense came out strong in the first half, holding Utah to a 36.3% field goal percentage, while also not allowing their fellow PAC-12 opponent to a single field goal from beyond the arc. 

In the second half, the Beavers were able to get their offense firing on all cylinders producing 44 total points with over 51.7% of their field goal attempts landing. Ethan Thompson led a 23-2 surge with 15 second half points to lead the team to victory. 

Thompson had a tremendous night on both sides of the court, with 25 points, eight assists, four steals, and four blocks. Meanwhile, Warith Alatishe capped the night with a personal high of 19 points and added to that with four blocks. 

Oregon State Men’s Basketball Drops Close Game Against Colorado Buffaloes

The Beavers’ winning streak of five straight at Gill Coliseum came to a close with a tight loss against the Colorado Buffaloes with a final score of 71-67.

Oregon State was able to keep the lead close in the first half by being able to capitalize on Colorado’s turnovers with 12 points, but the Buffaloes’ strong field goal shooting helped push them to a 35-29 lead at the end of the opening half.

The second half proved to be tough for the Oregon State Beavers, shooting 32.14% from the field and 25% from the three-point line. Colorado’s lead was cut to one point at 44-43, but the Buffaloes were able to string together an 11-2 run which would prove to be too much for the Beavers to fight back from.

Ethan Thompson finished the night with 18 points and seven assists which has moved him up to the third career assist leader for the Oregon State Men’s Basketball program. Warith Alatishe IV closed the game with a 12 point, 10 rebound double-double. 

Looking ahead, the Beavers will set out for a two-game road stand that kicks off with a matchup against the California Golden Bears on Thursday at 7 p.m. Following that, the Beavers will play at Stanford on Saturday for their final PAC-12 road game of the season.