Loyola Marymount stunned Oregon State 71-69 in overtime Saturday, drilling a late shot that froze Gill Coliseum and handed the Beavers one of their toughest losses of the season.

Senior night at Gill Coliseum had all the ingredients to be perfect: a packed house, alumni in the building, three national anthems honoring the seniors and a team that had battled all season to put itself in position for March.

Tiara Bolden, who grew up in nearby Eugene, Oregon, and returned to Oregon State to finish her collegiate career, struggled to contain her emotions during the pregame ceremony.

“I was just so thankful,” Bolden said. “To finish my collegiate career where I first fell in love with the sport – it’s a full-circle moment. I was just more grateful than anything.”

Instead, it ended with a game-winning three-pointer for LMU. 

“What a game. What a game,” Head Coach Scott Rueck said afterward. “Both teams wanted this game so badly that it came down to one huge shot – and they hit it.”

LMU came out swinging, knocking down early jumpers and burying a deep buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter. A shot that subtly foreshadowed how the night would unfold.

Still, the Beavers stayed within reach. And by halftime, it was a one-point game.

 “In the first half, it felt like everything was going wrong. Like we were fighting a lot of forces,” Rueck said.

Nene Sow gave OSU energy off the bench. While Jenna Villa and Kennedie Shuler created offense, both shooting over 40%. 

In the third quarter, Oregon State looked like it had seized control. Shots started falling, and the defense tightened up.

The Beavers pushed the lead late in the final quarter. 

“Second half, I thought we got control,” Rueck said. “I thought we played great.”

Jess Lawson, who finished with 21 rebounds for the Lions, seemed to be everywhere—giving the Lions the lead to start the 4th, with a quick lay-up. 

“Huge heart, man,” Rueck said of Lawson. “She is just a baller. Twenty-one rebounds as a guard? That’s incredible.”

With time expiring, Shuler sank the last bucket of regulation to tie it up 62-62, forcing overtime.

With Oregon State clinging to a one-point lead in the final seconds, LMU had options: attack inside, drive to draw contact, or space the floor. 

LMU’s Adjela Matic found space, put up the three, and drilled it.

No buzzer-beater scramble. No miracle response. Just a stunned building.

OSU would lose in OT, 69-71.

Turnovers, 22 of them, disrupted Oregon State’s rhythm at critical moments.

“Have we traveled this much this month, let alone one quarter?” Rueck said. “I need to go back and watch.”

However, even in defeat, the team looks ahead with optimism.

“Anything can happen in March,” Bolden said. “I’m very optimistic of what’s to come.”

“This segment’s done,” Rueck said. “The next segment is in Vegas.”

Oregon State will enter the postseason as the No. 4 seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament.