Oregon State University’s Women’s Basketball team faced one of their toughest challenges of the season over Thanksgiving break when they battled No. 17 Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The matchups were a part of the Paradise Jam tournament and were the first away games of the season for OSU. The Beavs lost both games.
“You get two tough opponents,” Head Coach Scott Rueck said before the Beavs left. “You play a top-20 team to open with who’s very, very good in all aspects, not a lot of weakness. And so we’ll have to take a huge step forward, not only our execution but our mental approach.”
Before the tournament, Oregon State was coming off of a six-game homestand that ended with a 71-55 win against Long Beach State. Vanderbilt had most recently beat Tennessee State 99-43 at home. Virginia Tech had just lost to James Madison University before the trip.
Vanderbilt
Then-No. 17 Vanderbilt (now No. 15) beat the Beavs 88-66 on Thanksgiving night.
Vanderbilt’s roster features one of the nation’s top sophomores, Mikayla Blakes. Before the matchup with OSU, Blakes averaged 23.5 points a game, which put her at 7th in scoring for all women’s players in the NCAA. She was named an All-American for her performance last season, where she led Vanderbilt to a March Madness berth.
Blakes scored 35 points, her season high. Justine Pissot and Aubrey Galvan were also weapons for the Commodores, scoring 17 and 12 respectively. Galvan helped control the defensive end with six steals.
Vanderbilt came out swinging in the first quarter, usually being able to find the open player.
However, OSU came clawing back in the second quarter, where they shot 50% from the floor. OSU had the lead over Vandy 36-35 near the end of the half, coming back from a 13-point deficit.
It wouldn’t last.
The Commodores pushed their long-court presses hard after the break, disrupting the Beavers to the point where OSU turned the ball over 11 times and only scored nine points in the 3rd quarter. Vanderbilt capitalized on this to the max, scoring 30 points.
While OSU saw a return to form in the 4th quarter, where they outscored, outrebounded and outshot Vandy, it wasn’t enough to overcome the 26-point lead the Commodores had before the 4th.
Sophomore Ally Schimel notched her first career double-double, scoring 15 points and catching 10 rebounds for the Beavs. Six-foot-five-inch senior Lizzy Williamson had 14 points of her own, a season high, along with eight rebounds.
Virginia Tech
On Saturday, the Beavers saw their next loss come to the tune of 78-67 to the Virginia Tech Hokies.
OSU is one of the least-fouling teams in the nation, but had an uncharacteristic nine fouls in the first half. The Beavs switched to a zone defense in the second quarter, potentially to limit fouls. The Hokies went 14-16 in free throws throughout the game.
Unlike the Vanderbilt matchup, OSU couldn’t catch up to the lead that Virginia Tech built from the beginning by halftime. In the third quarter, VT led by as much as 18. In what looked like a late game comeback, the Beavs exploded out of the gate in the final quarter with a 9-0 run that included two steals, getting within three points of taking the lead. OSU never overtook the Hokies and saw the gap in score widen once more.
VT’s starters ran the show, playing 78.5% of the Hokies’ total minutes. Guard Mel Daley led the team with 24 points on the night. Forward Carys Baker scored 20, her season high, along with seven boards.
OSU shot the ball poorer than they have all season against Virginia Tech, managing only 36%, when they typically shoot near 50%.
Vanderbilt is the only currently-ranked team on OSU’s schedule. However, the Beavs next face Oregon, who have received votes in The Associated Press poll, but not enough to join the top 25.
The Beavers will return stateside to play against Oregon on Dec. 3 at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.
