Beaver Basketball: The Defense
November 10, 2015 | Women's Basketball
There has been one constant when it comes to Beaver basketball -- the defense.
The Oregon State women's basketball team had not only the best defense in the Pac-12 last season, but one of the best defenses in the nation. Oregon State held its opponents to 35.2 percent shooting on the year, good for 13th in the nation, and ended the year second in the country with 30 defensive rebounds per contest.
Senior Ruth Hamblin enters the 2015-16 season as the NCAA's active leader in blocked shots, and was selected by Lindy's Magazine as the preseason favorite for National Defensive Player of the Year. Hamblin, an Academic All-American and the Beavers' record holder for career blocks, was the consensus Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year last season and holds the OSU record for blocks in a game with 10.
Wayne Tinkle stressed defense from his first day on the job and the Oregon State men's basketball team responded. The Beavers led the Pac-12 in steals, 3-point field goal percentage defense and turnover margin. They also set school records for scoring defense, field-goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage defense.
Individually, Gary Payton II was voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, joining his father and Seth Tarver as Oregon State players to receive the prestigious honor. Payton II had a steal in all 31 games a finished second in the nation in steals at 3.06 per game. He also set an Oregon State single-game record with seven blocked shots against Colorado.
The defensive intensity will remain the same this season, but both teams need the fans at Gill Coliseum yelling “DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE” all season when the opponents have the ball.
More reserved seat season tickets have been made available for the 2015-16 Oregon State women's basketball season, and general admission season tickets are still available for a low as $68. Get yours today by clicking this link or by calling 800-GO-BEAVS. The Beavers' 2015-16 schedule features 15 home games, including marquee matchups against Tennessee, Stanford and Arizona State.
Fans can secure Oregon State men's basketball season tickets and single-game tickets by visiting this link or calling 800-GO-BEAVS. Far West Classic Invite tickets will be included for all Oregon State men's basketball season ticket holders, giving fans a total of 18 games to watch in Corvallis and Portland during the 2015-16 season (including an exhibition game).
For Far West Classic Invite ticket opportunities and other information, go to www.rosequarter.com/FWC2015.
