Oregon State
Utah
Marchbanks' Career Day Boosts Beavers over Utes to Make it Four Straight
February 04, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2012
Women's Basketball Postgame Press Conference
Corvallis, Ore. – Senior Earlysia Marchbanks (Salem, Ore.) scored a career-high 22 points, adding a game-high tying 10 rebounds, to boost the Oregon State women's basketball team to a 62-49 rout of Utah on Saturday afternoon in Gill Coliseum.
The Beavers have won their last four straight conference games, something they haven't done since the 2000-01 season.
“Four wins in a row in conference is a great thing,” head coach Scott Rueck said. “It is nice to have all our efforts rewarded on the scoreboard. Sometimes in the past it hasn't happened that way. But I think it demonstrates the growth of our program and team. I think we are putting 40-minute games together now, and I think we have the talent this year to be able to compete like that. I'm really happy for this group and what they are accomplishing and the growth in every way.”
Marchbanks scored 16 of her points in the first half, while shooting 64.3 percent (9-14) from the field overall, adding four assists and five of the team's eight steals.
“Before the game, Coach [Rueck] came up to me and said 'let the game come to you,'” Marchbanks said. “The first basket went in, and then I was able to get some steals. The baskets just came easy after that. All week long coach said that if I get the rebound I can go, and that's what I did. Easy buckets came, and I got my teammates involved.”
Junior Sage Indendi (Livingston, Mont.) was the only other Oregon State player to reach double-figures with 13 points on a career-high 85.7 percent shooting (6-7).
Despite losing the opening tip, Oregon State (15-7, 6-5 Pac-12) jumped out to an early 8-0 lead with Marchbanks scoring six. Utah came back within three, but the Beavers quickly went on a 6-0 run to get more breathing room.
The Beavers led by as many as 15 in the first half at the 26-11 mark with 7:28 to go, but then were held scoreless for the remaining of the half as Utah crept within four at halftime with Oregon State up 26-22.
But Oregon State came out firing in the second half, opening up on a 15-3 run to give itself the largest lead of the game at 41-25 with 13:49 left.
The two teams traded buckets before Oregon State struggled from the field, allowing Utah to post a 9-0 run, sparked by Michelle Plouffe's perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, to get within five.
Indendi hit a quick jumper, followed by a three-point opportunity by Marchbanks to build the Beavers' lead back up to nine. And despite a jumper by Iwalani Rodrigues, sophomore Alyssa Martin (Portland, Ore.) carried Oregon State on her back, scoring six of the team's last eight points, including going 4-for-4 from the free throw line to boost Oregon State back up by double-figures to close the game.
Utah's Michelle Plouffe and Taryn Wicijowski both earned double-doubles. Plouffe had 17 points, while Wicijowski added 16, and both had 10 rebounds.
Oregon State shot 52.0 percent (26-50) from the field, scoring 46 of its 62 points in the paint. The team capitalized on 11 Utah turnovers, scoring 14 points off of them, while outscoring the Utes 10-0 on fast break opportunities.
Oregon State heads back on the road to face Washington State on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.
Oregon State Notes:
- The last time Oregon State won four straight conference games was in 2000-01.
- Oregon State hasn't swept a weekend of conference competition since USC and UCLA in 2008-09.
- Oregon State is now 13-2 when it holds its opponents to 60 points or less, and is 13-3 when it leads at halftime.
- The Beavers are 5-0 this season when they shoot 50 percent or higher. Tonight they finished at 52 percent.
- Senior Earlysia Marchbanks has two career games scoring 20-plus points, scoring a career-high 22.
- Marchbanks also tallied her third double-double of the season, fourth career, with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
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