Oregon State to Host Lamar Friday

Photo by: Scobel Wiggins/Oregon State Athletics

November 08, 2016 | Women's Basketball

Live Video Live Audio Tickets Game Notes

No. 17/25 Oregon State set to take on Lamar

By: Athletic Communications

THE GAME: The No. 17/24 Oregon State women's basketball team will open its 2016-17 season Friday, as the Beavers play host to Lamar. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. at Gill Coliseum.

FOLLOW ALONG: Friday's game will feature live streaming video from OSUBeavers.com. Fans can find live audio online at osubeavers.com or on the Beaver Radio Network with Jon Warren. Live stats will also be available.

MILITARY APPRECIATION: Oregon State will honor verified veterans and active military with free tickets to Friday's game. Additionally, the first 100 students to the game will receive a red, white and blue Oregon State t-shirt.

WHAT'S COMING UP: The Beavers will be back at home on Monday, when they play host to Idaho State. That game will tip off at 6 p.m. Oregon State will host Portland on Nov. 18, as it unveils its 2015-16 NCAA Tournament and Pac-12 banners.

HISTORY WITH THE CARDINALS: Friday will mark the first time in school history that the Beavers have faced Lamar.

TICKETS: Season tickets for the 2016-17 women's basketball season are still available for a low as $68. Get them today at BeaverTickets.com.

QUICK HITTERS:
- Oregon State enters the 2016-17 season ranked No. 17 in the USA Today/WBCA Coaches' Poll and No. 25 in the Associated Press Poll. The No. 17 ranking is the Beavers' lowest in the Coaches' Poll since they came in at No. 18 on Dec. 1 2014. Oregon State's AP ranking is its lowest since it was unranked at the end of the 2013-14 campaign.
- The Beavers were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 in both the league's coaches and media poll.
- Oregon State has not lost back-to-back games since it fell to USC and UCLA on Jan. 17 and 20 of 2014.
- Oregon State's senior class of Sydney Wiese, Gabriella Hanson, Kolbie Orum and Breanna Brown (redshirt junior) has a .798 winning percentage in their three seasons with the team (83-21).
- The Beavers' freshman class is the highest rated in program history, tabbed at No. 12 in the nation.
- Oregon State has one of the tallest teams in the Pac-12, featuring nine players listed at 6-foot or above. UCLA is the only Pac-12 squad to have more 6-footers, checking in with 10.
- The Beavers' 2015-16 squad has much more balance between classes than the 2015-16 OSU team. Oregon State enters the season with four seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen (by eligibility)
- This year's team is the first team to have more freshmen players (by eligibility) than any other class since Scott Rueck took over as head coach in 2010-11.

Fortress Gill:
- The Beavers went 16-1 at Gill Coliseum in 2015-16, bringing their home record to 30-3 over the last two campaigns.
- The Beavers have won 12-straight home games, since last dropping a game at home against Tennessee on Dec. 19, 2015.
- Oregon State has won 10-straight Pac-12 home games, dating back to Feb. 26, 2014 vs. Stanford.
- Oregon State led the Pac-12 in attendance with an average of 4,356 fans per game last season, 4,080 in conference play. Oregon State drew 7,824 fans for last year's Beavers Beyond the Classroom matchup with Cal State Baskersfield, and brought in 8,223 fans for their matchup with Tennessee.

FLASHBACK: A Look Back at 2015-16
- Oregon State is coming off its first ever appearance in the NCAA Final Four
- The Beavers won a share of the Pac-12 regular season title for the second-consecutive season, and notched their first ever Pac-12 Tournament championship.
- The Beavers are the first team other than Stanford to win back-to-back Pac-12 crowns since Oregon accomplished the feat in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
- Oregon State set a school record with 32 wins in 2015-16, topping their mark of 27 in 2014-15. The Beavers have gone 16-2 in each of their last two Pac-12 seasons.
- Oregon State ended last season ranked No. 2 in the WBCA Coaches' Poll. The Beavers have been ranked in the Top-25 every week since cracking the rankings in the 2013-14 year-end poll.
- Oregon State reached the Final Four by virtue of a 60-57 win over national-powerhouse Baylor in Dallas Texas on March 28. The Beavers were utimately defeated in the national semi-final by undefeated UConn.
- The Beavers have hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Gill Coliseum the last two seasons.
- Oregon State saw Ruth Hamblin and Jamie Weisner selected with back-to-back picks in the second round of April's WNBA Draft. It marked the first time the Beavers have had two players picked in the same draft.
- Jamie Weisner was named Pac-12 Player of the Year by the coaches and Co-Player of the Year by the Media.
- Ruth Hamblin was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season, and was also named Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year.
- Weisner, Hamblin and Sydney Wiese were all named to the All-Pac-12 team for the second-straight season.
- The Beavers led the nation in field goal percentage defense (32.4 percent) and defensive rebounds per game (31.0) last season.
- Oregon State also finished the year in the top-10 nationally in blocks (6th), rebound margin (6th), scoring defense (7th), and win-loss percentage (9th)

DISHIN' AND SWISHIN': Sydney Wiese Quick Hitters
- Is one of 36 players in Pac-12 history to make the All-Pac-12 First Team three times. Should she make the all-conference team again this season, Wiese would become just the 13th player in conference history, and second player in Oregon State history (Tanja Kostic - 1993-96) to earn All-Pac-12 honors all four years.
- Made the Pac-12 All-Tournament and Dallas All-Region Teams last season.
- Wiese is tied for fifth in Pac-12 history and first in Oregon State history with 270 career 3-pointers. Candice Wiggins (Stanford, 2005-08) holds the Pac-12 mark with 295 career longballs.
- Is the NCAA's active career leader in 3-pointers made.
- Ranked No. 16 in ESPNW's Preseason Top-25 Players list.
- Preseason All-Pac-12 honoree for the second-straight season.
- Ended last season 10th in Oregon State history with 1,276 career points.
- Is fourth in Oregon State history with 463 career assists.
- Has made the Pac-12 All-Academic Team the last two seasons, and hopes to begin a career in broadcasting once her playing career comes to an end.

GIFT OF GABBY: Gabriella Hanson Quick Hitters
- Is known as one of the best defenders in the conference, earning Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention last season.
- Is 10th in Oregon State history with 100 career 3-pointers.
- Played all 40 minutes in last year's Elite Eight matchup with Baylor, scoring 10 points and hitting a key jumper with 3:28 to play.
- Started every game last season after serving as the Beavers' "sixth-player" the prior campaign.
- Averaged 12.4 points per game during Sydney Wiese's eight-game absence due to injury last season (Dec. 21-Jan. 21).

GREAT SCOTT: Scott Rueck Quick Hitters
- Was one of four finalists for Naismith Coach of the Year last season (Geno Auriemma - UConn, Muffet McGraw - Notre Dame, Dawn Staley - South Carolina).
- Finished second to Auriemma in the AP National Coach of the Year voting.
- Has a 122-76 career record at Oregon State, making him the third-winningest coach in program history.
- Rueck engineered an accelerated turnaround at Oregon State, bringing the program into national prominence during his six seasons as head coach.
- Prior to joining Oregon State, Rueck served as head coach at George Fox in Newburg, Ore., where he built the program into a Division III national power, winning an NCAA title in 2009.
- Graduated from Oregon State in 1991.

KT-MAC ATTACK: Katie McWilliams Quick Hitters
- Pac-12 Freshman Honorable Mention in 2015-16.
- Is one of six Beavers, and the only OSU freshman to play in all 37 games last season.
- Played at least 30 minutes in all eight games junior Sydney Wiese missed due to injury last season, averaging 34.2 minutes during that stretch.
- Is the only returning Oregon State player without a double-digit scoring game in her career.
- Went 3-for-3 from 3-point range against UConn in the Final Four.
- 24 of her 37 made baskets have come from 3-point range.
- Knocked down her first career shot attempt, hitting a 3-pointer less than 30 seconds after stepping onto the floor in her collegiate debut.
- Was the highest ranked recruit in Oregon State history, prior to Mikayla Pivec joining the team in the 2016 recruiting class.
- 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.

GERMAN SENSATION: Marie Gulich Quick Hitters
- Went 11-for-16 (68.8 percent) from the floor over the course of the five NCAA Tournament games last season.
- Averaged 10.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per 40 minutes last season.
- Has played in all 69 games Oregon State has played the last two seasons.
- Pac-12 Freshman Honorable Mention two years ago.
- Has played with both the German U-18 and U-20 National Teams.

OPEN ORUM: Kolbie Orum Quick Hitters
- Hit her final five shots of the 2015-16 season.
- Is a 45.8 percent shooter over the course of her career, and hit 49.1 percent of her attempts last season.
- Has five career double-digit scoring games.
- Averaged 12.9 points per 40 minutes last season.
- Played for the Canadian National Team at the FIBA U17 and U16 World Championships.

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU: Breanna Brown Quick Hitters
- Made the most of her playing time last year, averaging 16.2 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per 40 minutes on the floor.
- Is a career 48.9 percent shooter from the floor.
- Won back-to-back California State championships in 2012 and 2013 as a member of Bishop O'Dowd High School (Oakland, Calif.).

REMAIN KALMER: Taylor Kalmer Quick Hitters
- Named Oregon State's Most Improved Player at the team's 2016 Awards Banquet.
- Is shooting a better career percentage from 3-point range (34.4) than she is from the floor (34.3).
- Was named a Scholar Athlete all four years of high school.

ALWAYS GREENER: Tarea Green Quick Hitters
- Redshirted in 2015-16
- Holds Hillsboro High School records for points and rebounds in a season.
- Born in Corvallis, Ore.

PIVEC AND ROLL: Mikayla Pivec Quick Hitters
- Highest-rated signee in Oregon State history, coming in as the No. 24 player in the nation according to ESPN.
- Max Preps National Female Athlere of the Year
- Averaged 21.7 points, 14.1 rebounds, 4.4 steals and 4.1 assists in high school.
- Won the American Family Insurance National 3-point Shooting Contest

THROPAY AS YOU GO: Janessa Thropay Quick Hitters
- McDonalds All-America nominee her senior season of high school
- First-Team All-California in high school
- Earned MVP honors at the All-Star Classic

GET SOME TUDOR-ING: Kat Tudor Quick Hitters
- Made 371 three-pointers in her high-school career
- Helped St. Mary's High School win the 2015 California state title
- Led CalStars Nike EYBL to a Nike National Championship in 2015

GETTING MADDIE: Madison Washington Quick Hitters
- USA Today First Team All-Nevada selection
- Helped Bishop Gorman High School reach the Nevada state title game three times
- Averaged 12.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game her senior season