Oregon State
USC
Beavers Top USC to Advance to Semis
March 05, 2016 | Women's Basketball
SEATTLE, Wash. – The No. 8/8 Oregon State women's basketball team earned a spot in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinals, defeating USC 63-53 Friday evening at Key Arena in Seattle, Wash. The Beavers advance to play Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
“I love the energy we started the game with,” said Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck. “I loved our defense to start with. And you really have to give USC a lot of credit. I thought they played an excellent basketball game tonight. So proud of our effort. And you have to love Beaver Nation, what an incredible crowd. They created a great atmosphere for basketball tonight.”
Pac-12 Player of the Year Jamie Weisner led the Beavers with 20 points, her 10th 20-point performance of the season. She finished the game 8-for-14 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range, and notched a double-double by pulling down 10 rebounds.
Senior Ruth Hamblin went 8-for-11 from the floor on her way to a 17-point, 12 rebound performance. It was her eighth double-double of the season, and the 25th of her career. Junior Sydney Wiese tallied 17 points and nine assists.
As a team, the Beavers shot 53.2 percent from the floor, compared to 38.3 percent for the Trojans. OSU also held a 40-25 edge in rebounds.
With the win, Oregon State moves to 26-4 on the season, and sits just one victory short of the school record of 27.
Oregon State got off to a hot start, hitting seven of its first eight shots to jump out to a 15-6 lead. The Beavers would proceed to take a 22-12 lead into the second quarter.
OSU extended its advantage to 12 early in the second frame, but USC battled back to get within three late in the period. A pair of Wiese free throws would give the Beavers a 36-31 edge headed into the intermission.
Oregon State didn't waste any time at the start of the second half, using a 10-0 run to extend the lead back to double-figures. The Beavers stretched the lead to 15, but again the Trojans fought back, heading into the final period down by just seven at 51-44.
USC refused to go away in the fourth quarter, chipping away at the Oregon State lead to get back within five. A late Wiese 3-pointer helped the Beavers keep the Trojans at bay, as Oregon State took the win by 10.
The Beavers will return to action tomorrow, when they take on the winner of Friday evening's matchup between Stanford and Washington. The game will tip off at 8:30 p.m. and will air on Pac-12 Network and Pac-12 Oregon.
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