It was a weekend of downs and ups for the Beaver women’s basketball team. After dropping a close game to the No. 24 ranked Stanford in front of a home crowd Friday, OSU was able to bounce back Sunday with a victory over No. 25 Cal.

Trailing by one at the half, the Beavers were down by two to Cal with just 57 seconds remaining in the game. OSU had a chance to tie the game near the final buzzer but could not convert. Stanford took the win, 60-57.

OSU  junior Katie McWilliams had 16 points on the night, going 4-for-9 from the arc and holding a 55 shooting percentage. Sophomore Mikayla Pivec scored 15 points and dished out eight assists.

The Beavers fell to the Cardinal in many categories, as they were outmatched in rebounds, turnovers and steals. OSU head coach Scott Rueck was unsatisfied with the outcome of the game. 

“I thought Stanford came ready to play,” said head coach Scott Rueck. “The difference in this game was rebounding and some key turnovers. Give Stanford credit for jumping passes at the right time. They earned the win.”

The Beaver’s were able to hold the Cardinal to just 38.8 percent shooting from the floor, but ultimately Rueck felt the team should have done better.

“I saw them (Stanford) get 20 straight offensive rebounds,” Rueck said. “You gotta give them credit for effort but come on, it’s the Pac-12. In that area, I was disappointed.”

The Beavers returned to Gill Coliseum Sunday afternoon to take on the California Golden Bears. The outcome of this game was quite different than their performance on Friday, however. 

OSU, repping their pink jerseys to promote breast cancer awareness, brought home a 68-48 win against Cal. Center Marie Gulich pulled a double-double, scoring 20 points and bringing down 10 rebounds for the Beavers. Sophomore guard Mikayla Pivec secured 13 of the Beaver’s 17 overall rebounds. 

After the game, head coach Scott Rueck praised the team for their performance after losing to Stanford on Friday.

“I thought this was a great bounce-back for the team,” Rueck said. “Cal is a very talented team. I thought we defended really well and executed

the game plan.”

Rueck also applauded McWilliams. She finished the game with 19 points. 

“I though Katie McWilliams really set the tone for us today, and she showed her leadership,” Rueck said. “This is a great win for our team.”

The Beavers finished the game shooting 44.4 percent from the floor, compared to the 35.1 percent put up in the loss to Stanford. 

After the game, the team partnered with the Corvallis Clinic to promote awareness for cancer research. Rueck’s daughter joined other community members in cutting their hair for donation in what has become an annual tradition following the Dam Cancer game. 

OSU will head up north for their next two games, taking on Washington State Friday at 6 p.m., followed by a trip to Seattle to battle the Washington Huskies Sunday at 3 p.m.