The Oregon State women’s basketball team opened its season with an 86-45 victory over the Corban Warriors on Friday night in a dominant performance that the Beavers controlled from the opening tip.
Powered by a roaring crowd, the Beavers were energized for the season opener, the 15th for long-time head coach Scott Rueck.
“It was fun to try different things,” Head Coach Scott Rueck said. “Game one, learning our team, and I thought in a weird way kind of a fun adventure. To navigate through the ups and downs of the game cause it wasn’t perfect for sure.”
OSU took the lead on their first possession with a step back jumper from Tiara Bolden just 18 seconds into the game and never looked back. Oregon State started the game with defensive intensity and never trailed, jumping out to a 23-7 lead in the first quarter and carrying a 35-point cushion into the fourth.
The Warriors were unable to mount consistent runs, except for a second-quarter scoring spurt that trimmed the margin to 12 with 5:09 remaining in the half. Corban’s largest scoring run for the contest was just seven points, while Oregon State had three runs of seven points in the first quarter alone.
The Beavers were able to build the lead through aggressive defense and efficient transition scoring. The Warriors were held to 18-62 shooting overall (29%), and 7-22 (31.8%) from three-point range, while OSU shot 34-74 (45.9%) overall and 7-22 (31.8%) from three-point range.
OSU’s Lara Alonso-Basurto led all players with 14 points, also leading all players with 11 rebounds. Kennedie Shuler added 10 points, five assists, and five rebounds. The Beavers went 11-17 from the free-throw line, compared to 2-2 for the Warriors.
“It’s fun to watch Lara play everyday,” Rueck said. “She’s a natural center, it’s what she has played her entire life until here. Not only is she learning to understand us, and the language barrier, she is learning a new position at the same time. She is so smart, how quickly she picks things up, but all that is secondary to her natural feel for the game.”
Alonso-Basurto, the freshman from Spain sits at 6 foot 3 and is listed as a forward. The only listed center on the team is Nene Sow, who is 6 foot 8.
Corban’s Emilia Bishop led the Warriors with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while Jersey Huerta supplied 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting. It was a difficult offensive night for the Warriors, who not only shot just 29 percent from the field but also committed 21 turnovers for the contest. Those 21 turnovers resulted in 26 points for OSU, which stifled the Warriors’ attempt at a comeback.
Oregon State was able to control the paint, finishing with a 50-38 edge on the boards. The Beavers also won the bench battle, producing 46 points to Corban’s 13. OSU tallied 14 blocks and 13 steals, denying Corban the opportunity to build a rhythm against consistent ball pressure.
The contest’s pivotal moments came in the first and third quarters, when OSU jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 6:29 remaining and expanded it to 14-2 with 4:47 remaining in the first. The Beavers were able to stretch the advantage to as much as 42 points late in the fourth.
Oregon State exits the contest with a resounding home victory and will look to carry the momentum into Monday’s home matchup against Air Force, tipping off at 6 p.m. at Gill Coliseum.