Oregon State
NCAA Elite 8: Oregon State vs. Baylor
OSU headed to Final Four
March 29, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Dallas, Texas – Oregon State is headed to the Final Four.
Junior guard Sydney Wiese hit three free throws in the final 33 seconds on Monday night to give the Beavers a gritty, thrilling 60-57 victory over Baylor in the championship game of the NCAA Dallas Regional.
The second-seeded Beavers (32-4) thus earned the first Final Four berth in program history by upsetting the top-seeded Bears (36-2) before a pro-Baylor crowd at the American Airlines Center, located about 90 miles from Baylor's Waco campus.
Wiese hit 1 of 2 free throws with 33 seconds remaining to snap a 57-57 tie. Senior center Ruth Hamblin rebounded a Baylor miss with 11 seconds to play, and passed off to Wiese, who was fouled with seven seconds to play.
She made both free throws for a 60-57 lead. The Beavers then punched their ticket for Indianapolis and a Final Four date with three-time defending NCAA champion Connecticut on Sunday when a desperation 3-point shot by Baylor with one second remaining was well off-target.
OSU will face UConn, the top national seed on Sunday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Washington plays Syracuse in the other semifinal.
“It's just incredible,” said Hamblin, who had 10 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and a crucial steal that gave the Beavers the ball with 46 seconds left and the score tied 57-57. “We just executed down the stretch, we stayed composed, got some crucial free throws and we made them to seal the deal.
“It is just so exciting. We worked so hard. We started from the bottom and to reach this point … I can't think of a better way to go out.”
It was the eighth consecutive win for OSU, which defeated Troy (73-31), St. Bonaventure (69-40), DePaul (83-71) and Baylor to punch its Final Four ticket. The Beavers also snapped Baylor's 23-game winning streak.
“I just coached the most amazing group anyone can possibly imagine,” an emotional OSU coach Scott Rueck said. “I couldn't be prouder of this group.
“We knew this was going to be a home court” for Baylor. “But we played the most amazing schedule in the toughest conference in the country this year and we were ready. We've seen tough crowds.
“This team had a belief, came out and defended and played our game. I can't put it into words. This is pinch-me stuff. There is no other word for it.
“We are so proud of Beaver Nation for supporting us. I know we have a lot of people going crazy back home. I feel as proud as I can be.”
Wiese's free throws capped a tense, back-and-fourth fourth quarter that featured two lead changes and ties at 51, 53, 55 and 57.
Baylor tied the game 57-57 with 2:19 to play. After an exchange of turnovers, OSU senior guard Jamie Weisner missed a 3-pointer with 1:11 to play. But Hamblin's steal gave the Beavers possession with 46 seconds left and Wiese was fouled on a drive down the right side of the lane with 33 seconds to play.
She missed the first attempt, but hit the second and the Beavers got one more stop and one more critical rebound to set up her clinching free throws.
Wiese had 18 points, six assists and four rebounds and Weisner had 16 points and eight rebounds to lead a balanced OSU attack. Hamblin had eight of her 10 points in the third quarter and junior guard Gabriella Hanson had eight of her 10 points in the first half.
Weisner was named MVP of the regional after scoring 54 points in two games. Wiese also made the all-regional team.
Senior forward Deven Hunter swished two crucial fourth-quarter free throws for her only points, and added seven rebounds as the Beavers outrebounded the physical Bears 37-33.OSU also held Baylor to 39 percent shooting, and gave up just one 3-point basket while making seven themselves.
OSU also was 15 of 18 from the foul line and that was the difference, as the Bears were just 6 of 14.
The Beavers led for the almost the entire first half and took a 34-25 lead at the break when Weisner buried a 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer. She had 11 first-half points, as did Wiese.
Baylor drew within 48-47 after three quarters to set up the flying finish. It took its only lead of the second half, 51-50, with 6:54 remaining but OSU re-tied the game 51-51 on a Weisner free throw with 6:30 remaining.
The Beavers are now 3-0 lifetime against Baylor, winning three times on a neutral court. Baylor has now lost in the Elite 8 three consecutive years.
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