‘We’ve got our best basketball ahead’ Beavers win against UO after Friday loss
Senior forward Ellie Mack fades away on a jump shot over Oregon’s defense. Mack went on to score 14 points in the Beavers win.
February 13, 2022
Seeking revenge for their defeat Friday night, the Oregon State women’s basketball team emerged victorious against the Oregon Ducks, with a final score of 68-62.
On the starting lineup for OSU for the first time, was senior guard Emily Codding, whose contributions during the game included five points, two rebounds, and three assists.
“Yeah, today was just such a fun environment, the whole team was involved,” Codding said after the game. “Just being a part of that was just something special, and I won’t forget that.”
Avoiding giving the Ducks a lead as they did just two days prior, the first quarter saw neither side having a clear lead throughout. This became a trend for most of the game, with no sides getting more than a ten-point lead over the other.
Heading into the second quarter with the score tied 14-14, a personal foul from Oregon player Nyara Sabally gave Oregon State senior guard Ellie Mack the opportunity to give a two-point lead to the Beavers making the score 16-14.
Mack, who scored 14 points during the game and made three rebounds, said that the Beavers’ game plan was based in problem solving.
“The first thing that we talked about— after we lost that game— was what can we do to get better?” Mack said. “Like, immediately we met have coordinates like, okay, what are we doing on Sunday?”
By the end of the first half, it seemed like a Beaver win may be the result of the game should the two teams keep playing as they did. Among The highest scorer for OSU was freshman guard Talia Von Oelhoffen, who contributed 19 of the 23 points she scored throughout the game in the first half alone.
Entering into the second half with a ten-point lead at 32-22, the Beavers saw the Ducks continuously chip away at the score gap throughout the third quarter thanks to the efforts of Oregon players, Te-hina Paopao, Endyia Rogers, Maddie Scherr, and Sabally.
The UO comeback was something that the Beavers had anticipated according to Mack, and they adjusted accordingly.
“We knew that was gonna happen,” Mack said. “But I’m super proud of our team, because we kind of listened to that. Really, two or three times they kind of came back… We were able to weather that”
With just minutes left before heading into the final quarter, Codding’s second score for the Beavers regained a lead for OSU after Paopao tied the scores up bringing the score to 39-36.
“We just always talk about is gonna have the ball and you have the opportunity to shoot it, don’t pass those moments up,” Codding said. “So I really wasn’t thinking it was just kind of an ‘I’m open.’ It’s my time, shoot it and take advantage of what we can.”
Following Codding’s 3-pointer, the Ducks helped cement a Beaver lead through three personal fouls giving six free throws to the Beavers. All six free throws were made by OSU players Kennedy Brown, Mack, and Taya Corosdale respectively.
Entering the final quarter, with a five-point lead at 45-40, the Beavers still had a long road ahead of them to secure their victory. In the end, more personal fouls, as well as a solid defense from the Beavers, helped to prevent a Duck comeback.
“Today was just a payoff of that, you know, in a sign of good things to come, I think, and we’ve got our best basketball still ahead,” said Beaver head coach Scott Rueck.