The No. 4 Oregon State University women’s basketball team outperformed No. 5 Portland on Sunday, beating them 60-50 in the West Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals in Las Vegas.
“Our defense was fantastic, and our rebounding ultimately was the difference,” OSU Head Coach Scott Rueck said after the game. “It was the separator, and we were just dominant on the boards.”
Rebounding was critical for the Beavs, who grabbed 54 boards to Portland’s 29. OSU’s rebounds were very evenly split across both defense and offense, and the team scored 24 points off of rebounds. In comparison, the Pilots scored only nine points off of rebounds.
Senior Lizzy Williamson was the key to the Beavers’ success in this regard.
Williamson, who stands at 6 feet, 5 inches, had a size advantage against the Pilots and was able to muscle out in the paint to pick up 16 rebounds and score 20 points. The ball often made its way to Williamson in the paint, allowing her to go 8-11 in field goals to become the most productive and accurate player of the game.
Williamson’s 20 points are her most with the Beavers.
“We definitely emphasized (the size advantage) in practice and our scout, and we knew that they couldn’t guard us inside,” Williamson said. “We just talked about in practice taking our time and balancing. I think last time I played them I definitely was rushing a lot and I didn’t get good looks, so that was an emphasis for me today.”
OSU guards Jenna Villa and Kennedie Shuler were also crucial to the team’s success. Shuler, the WCC Defensive Player of the Year, had two steals to go along with her eight points. Villa had 10 points and eight rebounds. Her two 3-point shots marked her as the only Beaver to attempt from beyond the arc.
Rueck said after the game that he intended not to have Villa be the focus of the offense in hopes of using her as a bigger weapon later in the tournament.
“We put a huge emphasis all season on rebounding,” Villa said. “Just going after it, putting them on our back and getting the ball.”
Neither team shot the ball particularly well- both teams shot at only a 34% clip. Superior defense, which led to superior rebounding and drawing of fouls for free throws, was what gave OSU the win.
The Beavers benefited from being sent to the line to take 24 shots, making 16 free throws. OSU continued their standard of keeping fouls to a minimum, and Portland made only three free throws from their six attempts.
Portland did not allow OSU to run away with the game. The Pilots started strong and managed a 10-0 run late in the first quarter and a 7-0 run in the third. On defense, they tried to crowd out the Beavs, often sending two or three defenders into the paint or on a Beaver ball handler.
The guard-forward duo of Dyani Ananiev and Lainey Spear were the Pilots’ biggest impact players. Between the two of them, they knocked down four of the team’s seven 3-pointers. They were also key components of Portland’s swarming defense- Ananiev stole the ball four times, and Spear pulled down eight boards.
“I think our coaches set us up really well. We work on defense. Our philosophy is to make teams play fast, and I think we did that, and I think we were competitive,” Spear said. “I’m proud of the team, and the coaches do such a good job building this philosophy of defense, and we just did that tonight, I think.”
Portland went into the game having beaten Washington State University the day prior, where they found success raining in 3-pointers and forcing turnovers. While the Beavs turned the ball over 16 times, their success in other areas prevented the Pilots from seeing a repeat of their game against WSU. Oregon State had a bye to this round, and it was their first game in the tournament.
OSU will go on to face No. 1 Loyola Marymount University on Monday at noon PDT in the semifinals of the tournament. LMU beat the Beavers in both of their meetings in the regular season, including in a 71-69 overtime win in their last game of the regular season. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
