Friday, March 29
Albany, NY
11:30 AM
Oregon State
70
vs
65
Notre Dame
Photo by: Karl Maasdam/Oregon State Athletics
Beavs Return to the Ranks of the Elite
March 29, 2024 | Women's Basketball
ALBANY, NY. – Picked 10th in the Pac-12 preseason poll, Oregon State is headed to the Elite 8 after knocking off second-seeded Notre Dame 70-65.
The Beavers return to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2018 and picked up their first win over a top-two seed since beating Baylor in the Sweet 16 of that season.
The dynamic duo that entered Oregon State with major hype delivered on their promise with Raegan Beers and Timea Gardiner both recording double-doubles, the first such duo since the Beavs beat Boise State in 2019. Gardiner led OSU with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Beers had 18 points with 13 rebounds.
"What do you say? That was a fantastic basketball game. I thought it was a great representation of who we are. It showed every bit of us, I thought. It wasn't always perfect, but we found a way. That's what this team has done all year as we've grown together so quickly," head coach Scott Rueck said postgame. "This is a special team, and they demonstrated every bit of that today, and I just couldn't be happier for them or more proud of them for the way they operate every minute of every day, the way they take care of each other."
Oregon State found a way with a 13-4 run in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter where every player on the court made a crucial play. It began – down 59-57 with just under three minutes left – with a Talia von Oelhoffen pass to Donovyn Hunter in the corner.
Hunter buried the triple, the ninth assist of the game for von Oelhoffen to give her an Oregon State NCAA Tournament Record with nine dimes. The next three came from Lily Hansford, who corralled an offensive rebound before nailing a triple to put OSU up multiple possessions.
Duelling free throws followed before the Beavers had a final answer to Notre Dame. Up just two, Gardiner attacked a closeout before dishing to Beers for a wide open layup, putting OSU up four with just 29 seconds left. Von Oelhoffen followed the basket by blocking Notre Dame's attempt at a three and grabbing the rebound to ice the game.
The Beers-Gardiner combination proved to be unstoppable in the first quarter. The duo combined for all but three of Oregon State's 17 points with Gardiner shooting Notre Dame out of its 2-3 zone before Beers punished the Irish inside.
The Beavs stretched a 17-15 first quarter advantage to 21-17 but couldn't pull away in the second due to self-inflicted turnovers with eight giveaways in the frame. A 7-0 Notre Dame run appeared to give the Irish the momentum, but OSU responded with a 7-2 spurt to close the half and get to the break up 32-31.
Gardiner dominated the third quarter, scoring seven points while pulling down three rebounds in the period. The Beavs once again appeared to pull away in the frame before the Irish roared back into it.
Oregon State's win was its first over Notre Dame in program history, previously going 0-5 in five tight games (average margin – 5.6 points).
Oregon State battles top-seeded South Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
The Beavers return to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2018 and picked up their first win over a top-two seed since beating Baylor in the Sweet 16 of that season.
The dynamic duo that entered Oregon State with major hype delivered on their promise with Raegan Beers and Timea Gardiner both recording double-doubles, the first such duo since the Beavs beat Boise State in 2019. Gardiner led OSU with 21 points and 11 rebounds while Beers had 18 points with 13 rebounds.
"What do you say? That was a fantastic basketball game. I thought it was a great representation of who we are. It showed every bit of us, I thought. It wasn't always perfect, but we found a way. That's what this team has done all year as we've grown together so quickly," head coach Scott Rueck said postgame. "This is a special team, and they demonstrated every bit of that today, and I just couldn't be happier for them or more proud of them for the way they operate every minute of every day, the way they take care of each other."
Oregon State found a way with a 13-4 run in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter where every player on the court made a crucial play. It began – down 59-57 with just under three minutes left – with a Talia von Oelhoffen pass to Donovyn Hunter in the corner.
Hunter buried the triple, the ninth assist of the game for von Oelhoffen to give her an Oregon State NCAA Tournament Record with nine dimes. The next three came from Lily Hansford, who corralled an offensive rebound before nailing a triple to put OSU up multiple possessions.
Duelling free throws followed before the Beavers had a final answer to Notre Dame. Up just two, Gardiner attacked a closeout before dishing to Beers for a wide open layup, putting OSU up four with just 29 seconds left. Von Oelhoffen followed the basket by blocking Notre Dame's attempt at a three and grabbing the rebound to ice the game.
The Beers-Gardiner combination proved to be unstoppable in the first quarter. The duo combined for all but three of Oregon State's 17 points with Gardiner shooting Notre Dame out of its 2-3 zone before Beers punished the Irish inside.
The Beavs stretched a 17-15 first quarter advantage to 21-17 but couldn't pull away in the second due to self-inflicted turnovers with eight giveaways in the frame. A 7-0 Notre Dame run appeared to give the Irish the momentum, but OSU responded with a 7-2 spurt to close the half and get to the break up 32-31.
Gardiner dominated the third quarter, scoring seven points while pulling down three rebounds in the period. The Beavs once again appeared to pull away in the frame before the Irish roared back into it.
Oregon State's win was its first over Notre Dame in program history, previously going 0-5 in five tight games (average margin – 5.6 points).
Oregon State battles top-seeded South Carolina on Sunday at 1 p.m.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Basketball
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/ Women's Basketball
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