Beavers Ready to Face Utes
January 20, 2016 | Women's Basketball
THE GAME: The No. 8/11 Oregon State women's basketball team (14-3, 5-1 Pac-12) heads to Salt Lake City Friday for an evening matchup with Utah (12-5, 4-2). The contest will tip off at 8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT
FOLLOW ALONG: Friday's game will air live on Pac-12 Oregon and Pac-12 Mountain. Thad Anderson and Maylana Martin Douglas will have the call. Live audio will also be available with Ron Callan across the Beaver Radio Network, including on KEJO 1240 AM in Corvallis, as well as online at OSUBeavers.com. Live stats for all games can be found on OSUBeavers.com.
WHAT'S COMING UP: Following Friday's contest in Salt Lake City, the Beavers will head to Boulder for a matchup with Colorado on Sunday. After that, Oregon State will return to Corvallis to take on the Arizona schools, in a weekend that will include a marquee game against No. 8 Arizona State on Feb. 1. That game will air on ESPN2 as part of the network's Big Monday coverage.
TICKETS: Tickets for every home game this season are available at BeaverTickets.com or by calling 800-GOBEAVS. Six home games remain on Oregon State's 2015-16 schedule, including marquee matchups against Arizona State and UCLA.
OREGON STATE QUICK HITTERS:
- Ruth Hamblin, Jamie Weisner and Sydney Wiese have all been named to the Naismith Trophy Early Season Watch List (released Dec. 9). Oregon State is one of three schools in the country to place a trio of players on the list, joining Connecticut and South Carolina.
- Oregon State is currently ranked No. 8 in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll and No. 11 in the Associated Press rankings.
- Oregon State is one of three teams in the nation with three 1,000-point scorers (Hamblin, Weisner, Wiese), joining Connecticut and Southern Illinois.
- The Beavers have been ranked in the top 12 of the AP Poll every week since Dec. 29 of 2014, and have been ranked in the coaches poll every week since April 7, 2014.
- OSU is ranked No. 10 in the RPI.
- Oregon State has been dominant in its 14 victories this season, holding one of the highest scoring margins in the nation at 18.6 points.
- The Beavers have controlled the glass this season, sitting second in the nation in defensive rebounds per game (33.0) and sitting sixth in rebounding margin (14.9). California is the only team to out-rebound Oregon State in a game this year (1/15).
- Oregon State has also been one of the best shooting teams in the country, hitting 45.9 percent of its field goal attempts.
- The Beavers have seen a big jump in their free-throw percentage this season, shooting 77.3 percent (ninth in the nation) from the charity stripe through the first 17 games, compared to 68.3 percent last year.
- The Beavers have held 15 of their 17 opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the floor, and have not allowed an opponent to shoot better than 44.6 percent in any game.
- Dec. 21's game against Cal Poly snapped a streak of 41-consecutive games that the four-player combination of Deven Hunter, Ruth Hamblin, Jamie Weisner and Sydney Wiese had started together. The string dated back to the start of the 2014-15 season.
- Oregon State has recorded 63 assists on a total of 93 made baskets over the last four games (67.7 percent).
A LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE:
- Oregon State will be in the national spotlight when it takes on Arizona State on Feb. 1, as it makes an appearance on ESPN2 as part of ESPN's Big Monday coverage. The Beavers will be one of 15 women's teams in the nation to make a Big Monday appearance this season.
LAST TIME OUT:
- The Beavers earned a 58-50 win over Stanford on Sunday to snap a streak of 29-straight losses to the Cardinal (dating back to 2001).
- Oregon State also tallied its first weekend sweep of the Bay Area schools since the 1994-95 season.
- The Beavers trailed by as many as 15 points in the game and by as many as 11 in the fourth quarter before making a late comeback.
- The Beavers shot 44.4 percent in the game, compared to 31.6 percent for the Cardinal.
- The current group of Oregon State seniors and head coach Scott Rueck have now defeated every team in the Pac-12 at least once.
WITH A WIN:
- Oregon State would extend its streak to five-straight wins over Utah dating back to 2013. The Beavers' current four-game streak over the Utes is tied for the Beavers' longest against Utah.
- OSU would record just its second win over Utah in Salt Lake City since 1993.
- The Beavers would win six of their first seven Pac-12 games for the second time in school history.
LAST TIME AT UTAH:
- Oregon State clinched at least a share of the Pac-12 regular-season title with a 52-42 win at Utah last season.
- The Beavers held the Utes to 34.7 percent shooting in the game and held Utah without a point for a stretch of over 10 minutes during the first half.
- Ruth Hamblin finished the contest with 14 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks.
OH CANADA:
- Friday's game features a number of players from the Great White North. Utes Paige Crozon, Emily Potter and Daneesha Provo are all of Canadian heritage, as are Beavers Ruth Hamblin, Jamie Weisner and Kolbie Orum.
SWISH SISTER: Jamie Weisner Quick Hitters
- Is shooting 49.5 percent from the floor, good for sixth in the Pac-12, and the highest percentage among guards in the conference.
- Scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against Stanford, helping the Beavers complete the comeback win.
- Has hit 63.6 percent (14-for-22) of her shots over the last two games.
- Is shooting 91.2 percent from the free-throw line, the fifth-best percentage in the nation.
- Had a streak of 23-straight made free-throws, spanning over a month (Dec. 2-Jan. 8).
- Should Weisner continue her hot free-throw shooting, she will put herself in contention for the Pac-12 single-season record for free-throw percentage (Kristin Iwanaga, Cal - 93.4 percent in 2004-05; Oregon State record - Mercedes Fox-Griffin - 90 percent in 2008-09). Penn State's Adrienne Squire own the NCAA record at 96.4 percent (2005-06)
- Has gone over 20 points four times this season, and has scored in double-figures in 10-straight games.
- Her 16.6 points per game is good for eighth in the Pac-12 this season.
- Is second in school history with 207 career 3-pointers, trailing only teammate Sydney Wiese.
- All-Pac-12 honors last season.
- Has 24 assists in the eight games the Beavers have played without the services of Sydney Wiese.
- Was All-Pac-12 honorable mention in her freshman and sophomore seasons.
- Was one of the best rebounding guards in the conference a season ago, pulling down 6.2 boards per game.
- Earned ESPNW National Player of the Week honors in January of 2015.
- Brothers Brett (Western Washington) and Michael (Montana) both played college basketball.
CANADIAN HAMMER: Ruth Hamblin quick hitters
- Named a preseason All-American by Lindy's, Athlon and Sporting News
- Made the All-Pac-12 Preseason Team
- Is listed as Lindy's preseason pick for National Defensive Player of the Year.
- Pac-12 Media Player of the Year in 2014-15, and was the conference's consensus Defensive Player of the Year.
- AP Third-Team All-American last year.
- Was named one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award on Tuesday.
- Has dramatically improved her free-throw shooting this season, hitting 70.7 percent (29-39) of her shots from the line after entering the year as a 56.5 percent FT shooter.
- Oregon State's all-time leader in career blocks with 344, and sits second in Pac-12 history. Hamblin would need 58 more rejections to match current Pac-12 record holder Stefanie Kasperski (Oregon, 1987-90).
- Hamblin is the NCAA's active leader in career blocks, leading Breanna Stewart (335).
- Has at least one block in 15-straight games.
- Became the 20th player in Oregon State history to reach the 1,000 career point mark vs. USC on Jan. 2.
- Earned Second-Team Academic All-America honors last year, posting a 3.86 GPA as a Mechanical Engineering major.
- Is on schedule to graduate a quarter early, finishing her school work at the end of winter quarter.
- She was affectionately dubbed “The Canadian Hammer” by former Oregon State men's basketball standout Joe Burton during her freshman season.
THE GIFT OF GABBY: Gabriella Hanson Quick Hitters
- Set career highs in points (20) and assists (6) against California last Friday, shooting 8-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-7 from 3-point range.
- Posted the best set of back-to-back games in her collegiate career to end the month of December, scoring 19 points against Cal Poly and 18 points against Notre Dame.
- Is averaging 12.4 points per game over the Beavers' last eight games (all without Sydney Wiese).
- Is second on the team with 46 assists and leads the Beavers with 22 steals.
- Has at least one assist in every game this season and has at least three assists in four-straight games.
- Made her first career start in the season-opener after serving as the team's “sixth man” last year.
- Is ninth in Oregon State history with a career 3-point percentage of 34.1.
- Was a Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention last season.
KT-MAC ATTACK: Katie McWilliams Quick Hitters
- Made her first career start against Cal Poly on Dec. 21, dishing out nine assists, matching the highest single-game total for any Beaver this season.
- Has played at least 30 minutes in all eight games since taking over as starting point guard in the absence of Sydney Wiese, averaging 34.2 minutes during that stretch.
- Played more that 39 minutes in Sunday's game against Stanford.
- Is averaging 4.3 assists per game in Wiese's absence.
- Knocked down her first career shot attempt, hitting a 3-pointer less than 30 seconds after stepping onto the floor in her collegiate debut.
- 13 of her 25 baskets this season have come from 3-point range.
- Earned numerous awards in the state of Oregon during her high school career, including: two All-State honors, Oregon Live Girls Basketball Player of the Year, Oregon Sports Award for Best Prep Basketball Player and Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year.
- Made the honor roll all four years of high school.
- Earned a five-star rating while at South Salem High School.
THE HUNTER: Deven Hunter Quick Hitters
- Posted the best game of her collegiate career on Sunday, scoring 19 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
- Hit five 3-pointers Sunday vs. Stanford. Prior to that performance, Hunter had never attempted more the four longballs in a game and had never made more the two.
- Has started 85 consecutive games dating back to her freshman season.
- Is fourth in school history with 789 career rebounds and broke into the top-50 in Pac-12 history on Sunday.
- Is shooting 61.1 percent over her last six games and has hit at least 50 percent of her shots in each game over that stretch.
- Has made eight of her last 12 3-point shots.
- Finished 2014-15 second on the team with 95 assists, the highest total of any non-guard in the Pac-12.
- Has earned Pac-12 Academic Honorable Mention the last two seasons.
- Hunter's father Bert played nine seasons of minor-league baseball, including two at the AAA level.
- Has made trips to the Dominican Republic the last two summers as part of Beavers WIthout Borders.
GERMAN SENSATION: Marie Gulich Quick Hitters
- Notched her first career double-double against Portland on Nov. 16, scoring 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in just 14 minutes of playing time.
- Is averaging 10.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per 40 minutes this season.
- Pac-12 Freshman Honorable Mention last season.
- Played the best game of her freshman year at Oregon, scoring 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting, including a pair of impressive 3-point plays.
- Has played with both the German U-18 and U-20 National Teams.
I AM SAM: Samantha Siegner Quick Hitters
- Played a season-high 24 minutes against Oregon on Jan. 10.
- Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team selection the last two seasons.
- Completed her bachelors degree at the end of her junior year, and is currently working on her masters.
- Played alongside Deven Hunter with Oregon Elite Basketball Club.
- Was a McDonalds All-America nominee in high school.
- Part of an athletic family, father played football at Linfield; grandfather, Ed Vetter, played baseball at Oregon; and uncle, Mitch Siegner, played football at Oregon.
QUEEN OF THE HILL: Jen'Von'Ta Hill Quick Hitters
- Missed seven games with a toe injury, making her return against Tennessee on Dec. 19.
- Has a record of 109-9 over the course of her collegiate career, going 71-2 in two seasons at Hutchinson Community College and 40-8 in her time wtih the Beavers.
- Six of her 14 points have come from the free-throw line
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU: Breanna Brown Quick Hitters
- Set a career-high with 12 points against Portland on Nov. 16, hitting four of her five field-goal attempts. Overall, Brown is shooting 50 percent (13-for-26) on the season.
- Has made the most of her playing time this year, averaging 17.7 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per 40 minutes on the floor.
- Made her return to the Oregon State lineup this season after redshirting the 2014-15 season.
- Finished 11th in the Pac-12 in blocks per-game (0.93) in her freshman campaign, despite averaging just eight minutes per contest.
- Shot 51.8 percent in her freshman year.
- Won back-to-back California State championships in 2012 and 2013 as a member of Bishop O'Dowd High School (Oakland, Calif.).
STAY KALMER: Taylor Kalmer Quick Hitters
- Recorded her first career double-digit scoring game against Idaho on Dec. 12, scoring 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting.
- Scored seven points on 3-for-8 shooting in her collegiate debut.
- Averaged 18.7 points per game in her senior season at Corona del Sol High School.
- McDonalds All-America nominee
GOLD ORUM: Kolbie Orum Quick Hitters
- Scored 10 points in the season-opener against Longwood.
- Recorded back-to-back double-digit scoring games against Utah State and Corban last season.
CAPTAINING THE SHIP: Scott Rueck Quick Hitters
- Consensus Pac-12 Coach of the Year last season, after leading the Beavers to their first ever Pac-12 title.
- Earned WBCA Region 8 Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year last season.
- Has earned Pac-12 Media Coach of the Year honors three times in his five seasons as head coach.
- Is already the third-winningest coach in school history, earning his 100th career win Jan. 2 at USC.
- Has been the architect of an accelerated turnaround in the OSU women's basketball program, bringing the team to national prominence in just five years.
- Has led the Beavers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, the schools first since 1996.
- Prior to joining the Oregon State program in 2010, Rueck built George Fox University women's basketball into a national power at the Division III level, leading the Bruins to a national title in 2009 with a perfect 32-0 record. In his 14 years at George Fox, Rueck's teams went 288-88, won seven conference titles and made three Elite-Eight appearances.
- Was inducted into the George Fox Hall of Fame in 2010.
- Graduated from Oregon State in 1991.
DISHIN' AND SWISHIN': Sydney Wiese Quick Hitters
- Has missed the Beavers' last eight games due to injury. Wiese had previously made 71-consecutive starts since joining the program in 2013.
- Became the 19th player in Oregon State history to reach the 1,000-point mark when she knocked down a free throw in the final minutes of the Beavers' game against Idaho on Dec. 12. Wiese is the fourth-fastest player in Oregon State history to hit the milestone (Tanja Kostic, Carol Menken-Schaudt, Judy Shannon).
- Earned All-Pac-12 honors for the second consecutive season in 2014-15 and is on this year's All-Pac-12 Preseason Team
- Already sits atop the Oregon State career record book in 3-pointers made (225) and 3-point percentage (41.7).
- Is third in the NCAA in career 3-point percentage among active players (Kelsey Minato. Army - 42.0 percent; Katie Schubert, UT Martin - 41.8 percent).
- Is closing in on the Pac-12's top-10 list for career 3-pointers, needing 12 more to match Bonnie Samuelson (Stanford, 2012-15) for 10th. Candice Wiggins (Stanford, 2005-08) owns the conference record with 295.
THE STAFF: Oregon State Assistant Coaches and Support Staff Quick Hitters
- Assistant Coach Jonas Chatterton enters his second season with the Beavers after spending four seasons at Colorado.
- Chatterton and his wife Cami gave birth to daughter Jada Sloan Chatterton on Dec. 30, 2015.
- Assistant Coach Mandy Close led the Beavers to three postseason appearances as a player from 2003-06. Close converted one of the most notable shots in Oregon State history, going coast-to-coast to hit the game-winning layup in the 2006 Civil War.
- Assistant Coach Eric Ely played internationally in France and Brazil, earning all-star status in Brazil in 1984 and 1985.
- Director of Operations Sharon Rissmiller joins the Beavers this season, after spending the last seven seasons as head coach at Pacific (Ore.).
- Director of Player Personnel Liz Clark played under Rueck at George Fox from 2001-05. Clark captained the 2005 Bruins team to an NCAA Division III Elite Eight appearance in 2005, and, along with Rueck, was part of the 2004-05 squad that was inducted into the George Fox Hall of Fame this summer.
ALWAYS GREENER: Tarea Green Quick Hitters
- Redshirting in 2015-16
- Holds Hillsboro High School records for points and rebounds in a season.
- Born in Corvallis, Ore.
A YEAR AGO: A look at the Beavers' historic 2014-15 season
- Oregon State is coming off its first ever Pac-12 Conference Championship, having won the regular-season title last season.
- The Beavers were selected as a No. 3 seed in last year's NCAA Tournament and hosted the first two rounds of the tournament at Gill Coliseum. The tournament appearance was the second in as many years for Oregon State.
- Oregon State set a school record with 27 wins in 2014-15, shattering the previous record of 24. - The Beavers also notched a 16-2 mark in Pac-12 play.
CLASS OF 2016: A look at Oregon State's No. 12-ranked recruiting class
- Mikayla Pivec is the No. 24 ranked player in the nation, and the highest-rated player Oregon State has ever signed. The 5-9 guard averaged 20.4 points and 12.1 rebounds in her junior season at Lynwood High School (Lynwood, Wash.).
- Kat Tudor is the No. 42 player in the nation, and comes to Oregon State with a four-star rating. - She is considered to be one of the best 3-point shooters in the country, and plays for national power Saint Mary's High School (Stockton, Calif.).
- Madison Washington averaged 12 points and nine rebounds per game in her junior season at Bishop Gorman High School (Las Vegas, Nev.). She has earned attention from USA Basketball, netting a selection as a Team USA U17 candidate.
- Janessa Thropay was the Baseline Basketball League MVP last year, and is among ESPN's top-20 forwards in the country. She averaged 10 points and 7.6 rebounds as a junior at Chino Hills High School (Chino, Calif.).
FORZA BEAVERS:
- Oregon State took part in an international tour of Italy this summer, heading to Europe to enjoy the history of the nation, while also getting the opportunity to play four games against Italian opposition.
- The Beavers went 4-0 in their games in Italy, recording wins over Civitanova Marche Basket, AD Basket Femminile Le Mura, Umana Reyer Venezia and Eldelweiss Fassi Albino.
- Over the course of the trip, the Beavers also got enjoy numerous once-in-a-lifetime experiences, including touring the Roman Colosseum, visiting the Vatican, viewing the Statue of David and spending an afternoon on scenic Lake Como.
- For an in-depth look at the Beavers' overseas trip, visit the Italy Central tab on the women's basketball page of OSUBeavers.com.
BEAVERS AROUND THE GLOBE: Oregon State on the International Stage
- Coach Rueck was part of the coaching staff for Team USA at this summer's Pan-American Games in Toronto. Rueck helped the Red, White and Blue win silver.
- With Team USA, Rueck coached Pac-12 players Sophie Brunner (Arizona State) and Kelsey Plum (Washington).
- Sydney Wiese made her Team USA debut this summer, earning a spot on the roster for the World University Games.
- Wiese's best international performance to date came against Japan in the quarterfinal round, when she went 5-for-6 and scored 13 points.
- Ruth Hamblin joined Wiese at the World University Games, earning a spot on the roster for Team Canada.
- Hamblin's best game of the event came against Russia in the semifinals, when she finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
- Wiese and Hamblin went head-to-head in the WUG Championship Game, with Wiese and Team USA taking the gold.
- Jamie Weisner played exhibition games in Spain with the Canadian Senior Women's National Team in 2015. She was also a member of the Development National Team that played six exhibition games in China averaging 20 minutes and 12.4 points per game.
