Big Monday: Beavers vs. Sun Devils
January 30, 2016 | Women's Basketball
THE GAME: The No. 8/9 Oregon State women's basketball team (17-3, 8-1 Pac-12) host a marquee matchup of the Pac-12's top two teams Monday, when No. 9/8 Arizona State (18-3, 9-0) visits Gill Coliseum. The game will tip off at 8 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG: Monday's game will air live on ESPN2 as part of the network's Big Monday coverage. Roxy Bernstein and Mary Murphy will have the call. Live audio will also be available with Ron Callan across the Beaver Radio Network, including on KEJO 1240 in Corvallis, as well as online at OSUBeavers.com. Live stats for all games can be found on OSUBeavers.com.
WHAT'S COMING UP: After wrapping up this two-game homestand, the Beavers will head North for games against Washington and Washington State next weekend. Oregon State will then return home to host Colorado and Utah on Feb. 12 and 14, respectively.
TICKETS: Tickets for every home game this season are available at BeaverTickets.com or by calling 800-GOBEAVS. Just five 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 one of three teams in the nation with three 1,000-point scorers (Hamblin, Weisner, Wiese), joining Connecticut and Southern Illinois.
- Oregon State is currently ranked No. 8 in the WBCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll and No. 9 in the Associated Press rankings.
- 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. 9 in the RPI.
- Oregon State has been dominant in its 17 victories this season, holding one of the highest scoring margins in the nation at 18.4 points.
- The Beavers have controlled the glass this season, leading the nation in defensive rebounds per game (33.0) and sitting seventh in rebounding margin (13.1). California and Utah are the only teams to out-rebound Oregon State in a game this year (1/15 and 1/22).
- Oregon State has also been one of the best shooting teams in the country, hitting 45.0 percent of its field goal attempts and 36 percent of its 3-pointers.
- The Beavers have seen a big jump in their free-throw percentage this season, shooting 76.9 percent (eighth in the nation) from the charity stripe through the first 20 games, compared to 68.3 percent last year.
- The Beavers have held 18 of their 20 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. Oregon State has also held 10 teams below 30 percent shooting this season.
- No team has shot better than 35.3 percent against Oregon State in the team's last seven games, with opponents shooting 30.3 percent over that stretch.
- Oregon State has recorded 103 assists on a total of 160 made baskets over the last five games (64.3 percent).
- Oregon State has allowed just 12 3-pointers over the course of the last seven games, and has given up a total of five longballs in its last four contests. Opponents are shooting 16 percent from 3-point range against the Beavers since Jan. 8.
- The Beavers are 14-0 this season when leading at halftime.
- 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. That quartet has not started together in 11-straight games.
BIG MONDAY:
- The Beavers are one of 15 women's teams in the nation to make a Big Monday appearance this season.
- Monday's matchup is one of 11 Big Monday matchups in women's basketball this season, and the only one featuring Pac-12 programs.
- Monday's game will be the first ever top-10 women's basketball matchup at Gill Coliseum.
LAST TIME OUT:
- The Beavers posted a dominant performance on Friday, defeating Arizona 71-43.
- Oregon State shot 46.6 percent in the game, 50 percent from 3-point range. The Wildcats shot just 29.6 percent from the floor
- Sydney Wiese notched the second double-double of her career, scoring 15 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in her return to the starting lineup.
LAST YEAR VS. ARIZONA STATE:
- Oregon State topped Arizona State in both of last year's matchups, taking a 68-57 win in Tempe on Jan. 25 and a 70-64 victory on Feb. 13 in Corvallis.
- The Beavers shot over 50 percent in both matchups.
- Ruth Hamblin tallied 17 points, nine rebounds and six blocks when the teams last met at Gill Coliseum.
FORTRESS GILL:
- Oregon State is 37-4 in its last 41 games at Gill Coliseum, dating back to the start of the 2013-14 season. Three of those four losses have come to ranked opponents (No. 14 Tennessee, 12/19/15; No. 19 Stanford, 2/26/15; No. 2 Notre Dame, 12/29/13).
- The Beavers are 21-1 in their last 22 Pac-12 home games.
- Oregon State leads the Pac-12 in attendance with an average of 4,202 fans per game. That total is the highest in the conference by far, out-pacing second-place Stanford by 1,045.
- The Beavers have held opponents to 32.8 percent shooting at Gill Coliseum since the start of the 2013-14 season.
- Dec. 19's crowd of 8,223 vs. Tennessee was the second-highest in school history, trailing only the the Beavers' 1996 matchup with Stanford.
WITH A WIN:
- The Beavers would move into a tie for first place in the Pac-12 conference.
- Oregon State would notch its fourth-straight win over Arizona State and will have four straight wins over the Sun Devils at Gill Coliseum.
- No. 8 Arizona State would be the highest ranked team the Beavers have defeated since they beat No. 6 North Carolina last season.
- The Sun Devils would be the highest ranked team the Oregon State has beaten at Gill Coliseum since it topped No. 3 Stanford 75-69 on Feb. 6 1992.
- The Beavers would earn their eighth-straight win overall.
- The Beavers would win nine of their first 10 Pac-12 games for the second time in school history.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:
- Oregon State's Sydney Wiese played alongside Arizona State's Katie Hempen as members of Team USA at this summer's World University Games.
- Canadians Ruth Hamblin (OSU) and Quinn Dornstauder (ASU) were part of the Canada World Unviversity Games squad that faced Team USA in the WUG Championship game.
- Arizona State's Sophie Brunner played for Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck at this summer's Pan American Games, when Rueck served as an assistant for Team USA.
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 Jan 19.
- Oregon State's all-time leader in career blocks with 355, and sits second in Pac-12 history. Hamblin would need 47 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 (350).
- Has at least one block in 18-straight games.
- Failed to record a defensive rebound on Friday for the first time since March 1, 2013 vs. Utah (Hamblin played two minutes in that game).
- 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.
DISHIN' AND SWISHIN': Sydney Wiese Quick Hitters
- Made her return to the starting lineup on Friday for the first time since suffering a hand injury on Dec. 19.
- Came off the bench in the prior two games, at Utah and Colorado.
- Notched her second-career double-double on Friday, scoring 15 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. She also finished with seven assists.
- 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 (230) and 3-point percentage (41.6).
- Is third in the NCAA in career 3-point percentage among active players (Kelsey Minato. Army - 42.2 percent; Katie Schubert, UT Martin - 41.7).
- Is closing in on the Pac-12's top-10 list for career 3-pointers, needing seven more to match Bonnie Samuelson (Stanford, 2012-15) for 10th. Candice Wiggins (Stanford, 2005-08) owns the conference record with 295.
SWISH SISTER: Jamie Weisner Quick Hitters
- Missed Friday's game due to injury, but is expected to return to the floor soon. The contest was the first Weisner has missed since March 2, 2014, snapping a streak of 57-straight appearances.
- Is shooting 49.1 percent from the floor, good for fifth in the Pac-12, and the highest percentage among guards in the conference.
- Put up 23 points against Utah last Friday, notching the 20th 20-point game of her career.
- Has gone over 20 points five times this season, and has scored in double-figures in 12-straight appearances.
- Is shooting 89.6 percent from the free-throw line, the eighth-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 Oregon State single-season record for free-throw percentage (Mercedes Fox-Griffin - 90 percent in 2008-09). Penn State's Adrienne Squire own the NCAA record at 96.4 percent (2005-06)
- Her 16.8 points per game is good for fifth in the Pac-12 this season.
- Is second in school history with 212 career 3-pointers, trailing only teammate Sydney Wiese.
- All-Pac-12 honors last season.
- Has 28 assists in the last 10 games she has played.
- Is shooting 54.1 percent over the course of her last four games.
- Scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter of Jan. 17th's game against Stanford, helping the Beavers complete the comeback win.
- 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.
THE GIFT OF GABBY: Gabriella Hanson Quick Hitters
- Set career highs in points (20) and assists (6) against California on Jan. 15, 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.
- Averaged 12.4 points per game over the course of the Beavers' eight games without the services of Sydney Wiese (Dec. 21-Jan. 21).
- Leads the Beavers with 26 steals.
- Has at least one assist in every game this season and Friday's game snapped a streak of six-straight games with at least two assists.
- Made her first career start in the season-opener after serving as the team's “sixth player” last year.
- Is 10th in Oregon State history with a career 3-point percentage of 33.2.
- Was a Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention last season.
KT-MAC ATTACK: Katie McWilliams Quick Hitters
- Notched her 11th-straight start on Friday, playing 29 minutes against Arizona.
- 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.
- Played at least 30 minutes in all eight games junior Sydney Wiese missed due to injury, averaging 34.2 minutes during that stretch.
- Is averaging 3.4 assists per game when in the starting lineup.
- Knocked down her first career shot attempt, hitting a 3-pointer less than 30 seconds after stepping onto the floor in her collegiate debut.
- 16 of her 28 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 vs. Stanford on Jan. 19, scoring 19 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
- Hit five 3-pointers vs. Stanford. Prior to that performance, Hunter had never attempted more the four longballs in a game and had never made more the two.
- Scored 12 points and tallied nine rebounds against Arizona on Friday.
- Has started 88 consecutive games dating back to her freshman season.
- Has continued to move up the Pac-12 rebounding list, currently sitting in a tie for 43rd with 811 career boards.
- Has made 10 of her last 16 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
- Scored eight points and matched a season-high with 10 rebounds against Colorado last Sunday.
- 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.
- Has at least five rebounds and one block in three straight games.
- Is averaging 10.9 points and 11.9 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.
- Hit two of her three shot attempts on Friday to finish with four points.
- 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 114-10 over the course of her collegiate career, going 71-2 in two seasons at Hutchinson Community College and 43-8 in her time with the Beavers.
- Converted her first field goal since Jan. 8 on Friday.
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.
- Has made the most of her playing time this year, averaging 16.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 3.7 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
- Hit a pair of 3-pointers to finish with eight points Friday vs. Arizona.
- 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.
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.
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.
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.
