The stadium roared with excitement as sophomore forward Taylor Jones of the Oregon State Beavers took the tip-off to start the game against the Western Washington University Vikings.

In what was projected to be a dominant win for Oregon State, the assumption was held true, as the Beavers dominated in almost every facet of the game. The game was not going the Beavers way at first, as the initial blow from Western Washington caught them off-guard.

For the Vikings, forward Brooke Walling, led the Vikings in the first period with 11 points, as she led them to a 21-17 first quarter lead over the Beavers.

Starting the second period, freshman guard Talia von Oelhoffen, the freshman guard for Oregon State, shot a three-pointer from the top of the key and made it, sending the Beaver fans to their feet. The following possession came with another three-pointer from redshirt-junior forward Taya Corosdale.

As redshirt-senior guard Emily Codding and redshirt-senior forward Ellie Mack assisted in closing the point gap, the Beavers took the lead for the first time in the game during the second period. Redshirt-freshman forward Jelena Mitrovic, took a three-point shot and landed it for the Beavers, taking the Oregon State lead to its highest point at 36-29 going in to halftime.

At this point, Brooke Walling, another forward for Western Washington, led the Vikings in scoring, with 18 points. Oregon State made it hard for Western Washington’s team to be efficient all-around though, holding them to shooting 28% from field goal range. The Beavers also caused 6 turnovers alone in the first half.

For Oregon State at halftime, they shot 44% from field goal range, including 50% on three-point shots. They did struggle to hold on to the basketball through their success, turning it over seven times in the half.

Starting off the third period for the Beavers, Jones got fouled by the Vikings and made both of her free throws to extend the lead. Oregon State played tough defense during the third quarter, which caused the Vikings field goal percentage to 27%, with them only making 12/46 of their field goals. The tough defense just happened to hold the Vikings to only five points through the whole quarter.

The Beavers went in to the fourth quarter with a lead of 53-34. Although the Beavers had a slow start, they took over the pace of the game and continued to stray away from the Vikings, proving why they are ranked No. 18 in the country.

Beaver’s continued to dominate on defense allowing only nine points from the Vikings and scored 20 points of their own in the fourth quarter.

“I think we had some nerves early on, and Western Washington presented a unique challenge with the style they play, particular at the five position,” said Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck. “I was really happy with the way we adjusted, and we continued to get better as the game went along. Overall, it was all positive today. It was a blast to be back in Gill and I can’t wait until next Friday.”

Mack led the Beavers with 14 points and six rebounds, shooting 6-for-7 from the floor. Oelhoffen recorded 11 points, five assists and two blocks, while  Jones put up 10 points and pulled down five rebounds.

Codding scored nine points in her first appearance at Gill Coliseum. Freshman guard Greta Kampschroeder pulled down eight rebounds.

Oregon state won the game with the final score of 73-43. Next up, the Beavers take on the Loyola Marymount University Lions on Nov. 12 at Gil Coliseum with an 8:00 p.m. tip-off.