Oregon State Women’s Basketball was not able to end their two-game losing streak against No. 8 UCLA. In a battle of the two top 25 teams, No. 15 Oregon State lost in overtime to UCLA by a score of 83-74.

UCLA’s defense was present from the beginning of the match, forcing the Beavers to eight first quarter turnovers. The Bruin’s defense limited Oregon State’s offense and stifled their ball movement, leaving the Beavers with one assist through the first half. 

 “This team does a great job defensively, they’re athletic, they’re quick, and they made us play one on one tonight,” OSU head coach Scott Rueck said about UCLA. 

Despite the defensive presence of UCLA, OSU junior guard Destiny Slocum kick started the Beaver’s offense, hitting back to back mid-range jump shots to gain the lead. Slocum finished the game with 19 points while connecting on a team high 3-4 from behind the arc. 

Minutes into the second quarter, Slocum came down hard after rolling her ankle. She needed help off the court and was walked straight into the locker room. The Bruins took this opportunity to cut the deficit to one point. With 4 minutes left in the second quarter, Slocum returned to the game and nailed a three point shot.

“That was a scary moment, especially with what we’ve been through, we didn’t want to see another one of those,” Rueck said.

This energized Oregon State’s offense and led to a 14-1 run. The Beavers led at halftime with a score of 31-26. The Beavers held UCLA to 27% shooting through the first half while converting on 52% of their attempts. 

The Beavers continued this streak by starting the second half with a three pointer by Slocum. Oregon State pushed the lead to 14 points, their largest lead of the night.

After a timeout by the Bruins, they answered back with a 12-4 scoring run. UCLA freshman guard Charisma Osborne scored nine points in the quarter while shooting 3-3. Osborne finished the game with 22 points and eight rebounds. The Bruins shot 62% in the third quarter to outscore the Beavers 27-25. 

Entering the fourth quarter, Oregon State held a three point lead. UCLA junior forward Michaela Onyenwere tied the game at 60 after an offensive rebound. Onyenwere scored 16 points and added 11 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.

The Bruins created more havok on the defensive end, forcing five steals in the fourth quarter leading to fast-break opportunities. UCLA outscored the Beavers 15-3 in fast-break points and had 15 steals compared to Oregon State’s four. 

With 2:26 remaining, OSU senior forward Madison Washington made a layup to tie the game at 67. Neither team was able to score as the game entered overtime.

Just 30 seconds into overtime, OSU freshman forward Taylor Jones was called for foul that put her at five, sending her to the bench. UCLA was able to capitalize by hitting both free throws. With 4:23 of play remaining in overtime, Pivec fouled out. The Bruins pushed forward, outscoring the Beavers 16-7 in overtime. 

“They did a great job and made the plays down the stretch to beat us,” Rueck said. 

Although the team is missing key players and losing a close game, Rueck continues to stay positive.

“Here we are with a few to go in conference. We just got to continue to get better, we’ve got the Pac 12 tournament coming up and postseason after that so we have a lot to play for and keep getting better,” Rueck said. 

Oregon State looks to turn it around against No. 4 Stanford at Maples Pavilion on Feb. 21. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.