The Oregon State women’s basketball team fell short of their attempt to spoil senior night in Pullman on Sunday afternoon, falling short to Washington State 57-67. 

The loss marked an eighth straight drop for a young but talented Oregon State team, who now sits at 11-16 overall, 11th in the PAC-12. 

A physical game, this bout was dominated by the frontcourt players, namely Timea Gardiner and Raegan Beers for the Beavers and Bella Murekatete for the cougars. 

The Beavers opened with a starting lineup that included four freshmen, and Washington State’s experience difference started to become more apparent throughout the game. 

Down as much as 13, the Beavers brought the game close near the end, getting within two possessions behind a 15-point double-double from Raegan Beers, her 13th of the season, and 17 points with eight rebounds from Timea Gardiner, who shot 75% from three-point range, as well as 60% overall. 

The win for the Cougs was dominated both early and late in the game by Murekatete, who scored 19 points on 57% field goal percentage, alongside the fourth leading scorer in the PAC-12, Charlisse Leger-Walker, who racked up 15 points with eight rebounds and six assists to go along with it. 

Although they were ahead for most of the game, Cougars head coach Kamie Ethridge was frustrated that her team found themselves, “Wanting knockout blows.” Once the Cougars moved past that, they looked comfortable for the rest of the game.

The Beavers shot better field goal percentages and three-point percentages, but their 15 turnovers to Washington State’s five allowed the Cougars to control the game most of the way. 

A top-scoring asset was also missing from the game, as leading scorer, Talia Von Oelhoffen shot just 1-10 from the bench. The Beavers also missed several key rebounds at the end of the game, both offensively and defensively, which allowed Washington State to ensure the comeback wasn’t completed. 

The Oregon State women’s basketball team will be at home in Gill Coliseum this Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. against Arizona State, and they will finish the season at home versus the No. 18 ranked Arizona on 2/25. 

These games will be very important for the Beavers, as they make a final push for seeding in the PAC-12 tournament, where many believe they will make noise in an attempt to get to the final women’s national tournament bracket.