Out of Oregon State and Gonzaga’s last six meetings, three went to overtime and four ended with the teams separated by five or fewer points.
Tuesday’s West Coast Conference tournament finals matchup between the two teams seemed like it could have ended the same way, until Gonzaga pulled ahead and won 76-66 in Las Vegas.
The game featured 15 lead changes, and it was a two-score game or less for over 38 minutes.
“I anticipated a very competitive game,” OSU Head Coach Scott Rueck said. “I like the way that we defended for the most part. I didn’t know if we’d have to go zone. I didn’t exactly know how the game would go, but I knew that we were here to compete.”
The starters ran the show for OSU. Only one point came from the bench, with just over 26 minutes of bench play for the Beavs.
Jenna Villa and Tiara Bolden were the major offensive weapons for OSU, scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively. Although she got two early fouls, Kennedie Shuler distributed the ball to the team for most of the game.
The Beavs were more dominant off the glass and got eight more rebounds than the Zags. Despite this advantage, Oregon State struggled with the Bulldog defense busting their plays. Even though the Beavs were the better rebounders, they scored only four second-chance points to the Zags’ 15. Most of OSU’s extra boards came off the defensive glass.
Free throws, which were a saving grace for the Beavers in their previous two games, proved to be a nemesis in the matchup. Even though OSU made 15, they allowed Gonzaga to make 17 of their own. OSU only saw more free throws against them one time this season – when they faced Gonzaga in Corvallis in January.
“This was a very Oregon State-like game,” sophomore Gonzaga guard Allie Turner said. “I think most of our games end like this, within 10 points, free throws at the end. … I think that we were really ready to play them this year.
“It’s super fun to play these games too; they’re so competitive, you never really know who’s going to win. It was in the final minute of the game when we were up by 10, and I was like, ‘Oh, this is still close. I’m not sure how it’s going to go.’”
Lauren Whittaker, the WCC Player of the Year and WCC Freshman of the Year, once again posed a problem for the Beavs. Her 26 points and nine rebounds were by far the most of any Bulldog in the game. OSU’s coverage would drop back in some situations, leaving Whittaker wide open with the ball in hand to score.
“No matter if you’ve played one game, two games, in this tournament, you’re going to bring it. Oregon State is just a tough team all-around,” Whittaker said. “I know that my team had me always, and I think the fact that we stayed connected throughout the whole game is probably what got us the win.”
Since the WCC is considered to be a one-bid conference, Oregon State will not get to compete in the NCAA Tournament. The Beavs may get an invite to play in a different tournament, such as the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament.
“I think this team deserves to keep playing,” Shuler said. “23 wins, right? I mean, that’s a great season. So I’m super proud of our group, and we’ve worked hard all season to be able to keep playing, and I think it’s super deserved for this team.”
Both Oregon State and Gonzaga will be competing in the rebuilt Pac-12 conference next season.
Gonzaga’s seed and opponent, along with the rest of the NCAA Tournament and WBIT fields, will be revealed on Sunday.
