Beavers Ready For Historic Final Four
April 01, 2016 | Women's Basketball
THE GAME: The No. 6/6 Oregon State women's basketball team (32-4) heads to its first ever FInal Four this week, as the Beavers prepare to take on No. 1/1 Connecticut (36-0) in the national semifinal. The game will tip off at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on Sunday, April 3.
FOLLOW ALONG: The game will be carried live on ESPN. Dave O'Brien, Holly Rowe and Doris Burke will have the call. Live audio will also be available with Ron Callan across the Beaver Radio Network, including on KEJO 1240 in Corvallis. Live stats for all games can be found on OSUBeavers.com.
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
- This is the Beavers' eighth NCAA Tournament appearance, and their third-straight season making the Big Dance.
- Oregon State hosted the first two rounds at Gill Coliseum this year for the second-straight season.
- This is Oregon State women's basketball's first Final Four appearance. Prior to this season, Oregon State's best finish was a Sweet 16 appearance in 1983, back when the tournament featured 32 teams.
- The Beavers' 2014 NCAA Tournament appearance snapped an 18-year drought. Oregon States' prior tournament appearance came back in 1996.
- This season marks the third appearance by an Oregon State basketball team. The Beaver men's team accomplished the feat twice, in 1949 and 1963.
TOURNAMENT SO FAR:
- Oregon State advanced to the Final Four through the Dallas Regional, topping No. 1 seed Baylor in the Elite Eight in front of a pro-Lady Bears Crowd at the American Airlines Center.
- Jamie Weisner and Sydney Wiese both earned All-Dallas Regional honors, with Weisner being named the region's Most Outstanding Player.
- Weisner posted one of the best offensive performances of the Tournament so far, going to 38 points on 14-20 shooting to help the Beavers earn a Sweet 16 victory over six-seed DePaul.
- The Beavers hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament at Gill Coliseum, defeating Troy and St. Bonaventure to advance to Dallas.
OREGON STATE QUICK HITTERS:
- Oregon State's 32 wins are a new school record. The previous mark was 27 victories, set last season.
- The Beavers have won 22 of their last 23 games.
- Ruth Hamblin, Jamie Weisner and Sydney Wiese were all 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.
- Weisner was also named to the Naismith Trophy Midseason 30 on Feb. 10.
- 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 has been dominant in its 32 victories this season, holding the No. 10 scoring margin in the nation at 16.2 points.
- The Beavers have controlled the glass this season, leading the nation in defensive rebounds per game (32.0) and sitting sixth in rebounding margin (11.7). California, Utah and Stanford are the only teams to out-rebound Oregon State in a game this year (1/15, 1/22, 2/26).
- Oregon State has also been one of the best shooting teams in the country, hitting 43.9 percent of its field goal attempts and 35.6 percent of its 3-pointers.
- Oregon State has recorded 215 assists on 314 made baskets in its last eight games (68.5 percent).
- The Beavers are 27-0 this season when leading at halftime.
- Jamie Weisner (41.3) and Sydney Wiese (40.7) are the seventh and 11th best 3-point shooters in the nation, in terms of career 3-point percentage.
IN THE RANKINGS:
- Oregon State ended the regular season ranked No. 6 in both the Associated Press poll and the WBCA/USA Today Coaches' Poll, the highest ranking in program history.
- 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.
OREGON STATE DEFENSE:
- The Beavers have held 32 of their 36 opponents to under 40 percent shooting from the floor. Oregon State has also held 14 teams below 30 percent shooting this season.
- Oregon State leads the nation in field goal percentage defense at 31.7 percent.
- The Beavers have held their four NCAA Tournament opponents to a combined 30 percent shooting from the floor and 28.4 percent from 3-point range.
THE SENIORS:
- The current group of five Oregon State seniors have helped transform the program into a national contender.
- The Beavers' set of four 4-year seniors (Hamblin, Hunter, Siegner, Weisner) were part of a 10-win campaign their freshman year, and consistently improved on that total each year after that (24 wins as sophomores, 27 as juniors, 32 as seniors).
- Hamblin, Hunter and Weisner have made a combined 348 starts since joining the program, including 294 in the last three seasons. Hamblin and Hunter have started every game together in the last three seasons.
PAC-12 TITLE:
- The Beavers earned a share of the 2015-16 Pac-12 regular season title, splitting the crown with Arizona State.
- OSU's 16-2 Pac-12 record matched the best mark in school history, tying last year's conference record.
- 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.
PAC-12 HONORS:
- Jamie Weisner was named Pac-12 Player of the Year by the coaches and Co-Player of the Year by the Media.
- She is the first Oregon State player to earn conference Player of the Year recognition since Felicia Ragland in 2001.
- 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 and Arizona State are the only teams in the conference with a trio of All-Pac-12 honrees.
- Weisner and Gabriella Hanson were both defensive honorable mentions, while Katie McWilliams was a freshman honorable mention.
PAC-12 TOURNAMENT:
- Oregon State won its first ever Pac-12 Tournament crown this season, defeating UCLA in the conference title game.
- Jamie Weisner was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, after scoring at least 19 points in all three games.
- Ruth Hamblin and Sydney Wiese were named to the All-Tournament Team.
SWISH SISTER: Jamie Weisner Quick Hitters
- Pac-12 Player of the Year.
- Joins Tanja Kostic (twice) and Felicia Ragland as Beavers to win Pac-12 Player of the Year
- Is one of three player in the Pac-12 with multiple Player of the Week honors this season (Jillian Alleyne, Lili Thompson).
- Wade Trophy Watch List
- AP Second Team All-American
- ESPNW Second-Team All-American.
- Dallas Regional Most Outstanding Player
- Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention
- Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player
- Named to the Naismith Award Midseason 30.
- Is shooting 48.8 percent from the floor, good for seventh in the Pac-12, and the highest percentage among guards in the conference by seven percent (Nirra Fields - 41.5 percent).
- Is sixth in Oregon State history and 35th in Pac-12 history with 1,768 career points.
- Her 17.5 points per game is good for fourth in the Pac-12 this season.
- Is averaging 19.8 point per game and is shooting 50 percent from the floor through the first four NCAA Tournament games.
- Is second in school history with 252 career 3-pointers, trailing only teammate Sydney Wiese.
- Seventh in the nation in career 3-point percentage, and sits third among players in the Power 5 conferences.
- Eighth in Oregon State history in career rebounds.
- Scored 38 points on 14-for-20 shooting against DePaul in the Sweet 16, the best scoring game for a Beaver since 2008.
- Scored 23 points against St. Bonaventure in the second round, after being held to a season-low two points in the Beavers' first round matchup with Troy.
- Scored 12 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter of Jan. 17th's game against Stanford, helping the Beavers complete the comeback win.
- Shot 9-for-10 from the floor on on Feb. 1 to finish with 25 points against Arizona State.
- Scored 25 points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds against UCLA on Feb. 21.
- Scored at least 19 points in all three Pac-12 Tournament games.
- Brothers Brett (Western Washington) and Michael (Montana) both played college basketball.
DISHIN' AND SWISHIN': Sydney Wiese Quick Hitters
- All-Pac-12 for the third-straight season.
- Is one of 36 Pac-12 players to earn All-Conference honors three times in her career, and the third Beaver to do so (Felicia Ragland, Tanja Kostic).
- Pac-12 All-Tournament Team and Dallas All-Region.
- Already sits atop the Oregon State career record book in 3-pointers made (269) and is second 3-point percentage (40.7).
- Is currently sixth in Pac-12 history for career 3-pointers. Candice Wiggins (Stanford, 2005-08) owns the conference record with 295.
- Is 11th in the NCAA in career 3-point percentage among active players, and has the fifth-best percentage among players in the Power-5 conferences.
- 10th in Oregon State history with 1,263 career points.
- Is Oregon State's second-leading rebounder with an average of 5.7 per game.
- 150 of her 160 rebounds this year have been defensive rebounds.
- Fourth in Oregon State history with 463 career assists.
- Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team the last two seasons.
CANADIAN HAMMER: Ruth Hamblin quick hitters
- Was named one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS Award
- Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight season.
- Has earned All-Pac-12 honors two-straight years.
- Pac-12 Media Player of the Year in 2014-15.
- Pac-12 All-Tournament Team.
- Academic All-America First Team
- AP All-America Honorable Mention
- Pac-12 record-holder with 419 career blocks, and is in the top-10 in the history of NCAA women's basketball.
- Hamblin is the NCAA's active leader in career blocks, leading Sunday's foe Breanna Stewart (411).
- Has at least one block in 32-straight games
- Holds the Oregon State school record with 1,016 career rebounds.
- Is averaging 14.8 rebounds per contest over her last eight games, and 15.0 rebounds per game over her last five.
- Ninth in Oregon State history with 1,292 career points.
- Tied the Oregon State single-game record with 20 rebounds in the Pac-12 Championship game.
- Her 23-points and 20 rebounds in the Pac-12 title game gave her the third 20-20 game in Oregon State history, and the first since Natalia Mattick went for 25 points and 20 rebounds on Dec. 1, 1990.
- Was part of a team of students that helped build a sounding rocket that was recently launched 21,750 feet into the air.
- Became the 20th player in Oregon State history to reach the 1,000 career point mark vs. USC on Jan. 2.
- Has already finished her coursework at Oregon State, completing her undergraduate degree a quarter early as an Electrical Engineering major.
- 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
- Pac-12 Defensive Honorable Mention
- 10th in Oregon State history with 100 career 3-pointers.
- Played all 40 minutes against Baylor in the Elite Eight, scoring 10 points.
- 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.
- 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 47 steals.
- Has an assist in all but one game this season.
- Made her first career start in the season-opener after serving as the team's “sixth player” last year.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Connections between the two sides with Team USA
- Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck worked with Connecticut players Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson at last summer's Pan-American Games. Rueck was an assistant coach for Team USA at the event.
THE HUNTER: Deven Hunter Quick Hitters
- Has started 104 consecutive games dating back to her freshman season.
- Has played in all 134 of Oregon State's games over the last four years, making 131 starts.
- Is fourth in Oregon State history and 32nd in Pac-12 history with 892 career rebounds.
- Posted the best game of her collegiate career vs. Stanford on Jan. 19, scoring 19 points and pulling down 12 rebounds.
- Pulled down 12 rebounds in the Pac-12 title game vs. UCLA.
- Hit five 3-pointers vs. Stanford. Prior to that performance, Hunter had never attempted more than four longballs in a game and had never made more the two.
- Has earned Pac-12 Academic Honorable Mention the last three 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
- Is 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) from the floor over the course of the four NCAA Tournament games.
- Is averaging 11.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per 40 minutes this season.
- Has played in all 36 games.
- Pac-12 Freshman Honorable Mention last season.
- Has played with both the German U-18 and U-20 National Teams.
I AM SAM: Samantha Siegner Quick Hitters
- Has missed just two games over the course of her career, and has played all 36 games this season.
- Has played every position except point guard over the course of her career.
- Played a season-high 24 minutes against Oregon on Jan. 10.
- Has scored three points over the course of her last eight games.
- Earned Pac-12 All-Academic First Team honors this season.
- Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team selection in her junior and sophomore years.
- 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.
KT-MAC ATTACK: Katie McWilliams Quick Hitters
- Is one of six Beavers, and the only OSU freshman to play in all 36 games 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.
- Averaged 3.4 assists per game during her stint 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.
- 21 of her 34 baskets this season have come from 3-point range.
- Is the only active Oregon State player without a double-digit scoring game in her career.
- 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.
QUEEN OF THE HILL: Jen'Von'Ta Hill Quick Hitters
- Has a record of 129-11 over the course of her collegiate career, going 71-2 in two seasons at Hutchinson Community College and 58-9 in her time with the Beavers.
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 16.2 points, 12.1 rebounds and 3.6 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
- Matched a career-high with 10 points Feb. 19 vs. USC
- Hit a pair of 3-pointers to finish with eight points vs. Arizona on Jan. 30.
- 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
- Is 12-for-15 from the floor in her last seven appearances, and has hit her last five shots.
- Scored 10 points in the season-opener against Longwood.
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.
GREAT SCOTT: Scott Rueck Quick Hitters
- One of four finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award, joining Geno Auriemma (Connecticut), Muffet McGraw (Notre Dame) and Dawn Staley (South Carolina).
- Has earned Pac-12 Media Coach of the Year honors three times in his six 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.
- 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.
- Graduated from Oregon State in 1991.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
ABOUT OREGON STATE ATHLETICS: The mission of the OSU Department of Athletics is to provide opportunities to young people and develop leaders through a tradition of academic and athletic achievement in a progressive, inclusive environment of mutual respect.
