Beavers Set For 2nd-Round Clash vs. Gonzaga
THE GAME: The 3-seed Oregon State women's basketball team will look to secure a berth in the Sweet-16 Sunday afternoon when it hosts 11-seed Gonzaga at Gill Coliseum. Tip is scheudled for 4 p.m.
FOLLOW ALONG: The game will be carried live across the nation on ESPN2, and can be streamed online at ESPN3.com. You can also listen live on the Beaver Radio Network with Ron Callan.
TICKETS: Tickets are available at Beavertickets.com. All fans must have a ticket, and are encouraged to buy tickets online to skip box-office lines. Parking will be available for $10.
OREGON STATE TEAM NOTES: Oregon State is making its seventh-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
- With a win Sunday, the Beavers would lock down their second all-time Sweet-16 appearance. The only previous appearance came back in 1983, when the Beavers defeated UCLA 75-62 to advance to the second round of the then 36-team tournament.
- Oregon State is 2-0 all-time against Gonzaga, with both wins coming at Gill Coliseum. The teams last met in the opening round of the WNIT back in 2003-04, with the Beavers winning 69-64. Currenty Oregon State assistant coach and former Beaver player Mandy Close started for OSU in that game.
- Oregon State won its first ever Pac-12 title this season, defeating Cal to clinch the regular-season crown outright. The Beavers only other conference title came back in 1983, when the team won the NorPac Conference
- OSU set a new school record with 27 wins this season, surpassing the school record of 24, which was matched last season.
- The Beavers have gone 14-1 at home on the year, extending their home winning streak to 22-straight games in a stretch that began in the 2013-14 campaign. Oregon State went undefeated at home in calendar year 2014.
- The Beavers’ success on the floor translated to success in the stands, as the Beavers led the Pac-12 in attendance with and average of 4,167 fans per game on the season, 4,785 in conference play. Oregon State drew over 5,000 fans to Gill Coliseum five times, over 6,000 four times and broke the 7,000 fans mark against Idaho and Oregon. Noise levels on the floor were measured at 110 decibels during OSU’s game against California, roughly the same level as a loud rock concert.
- The Beavers have notched three wins over top-15 opponents this season, going 3-1 in such games. Oregon State’s marquee win came in a road win over then No. 6/6 North Carolina. OSU would then proceed sweep the season series against No. 12/12 Arizona State. Oregon State’s only loss against a top-12 team came on the road against No. 8/8 Tennessee.
- Of Oregon State’s four losses, three came against teams chosen by the NCAA Selection Committee to be part of its preliminary top-20, which was announced on Feb. 11 (Tennessee, Washington, Stanford). All three of those squads earned top-5 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
- The historic season has been accompanied by players moving up the school records. Ali Gibson and Jamie Weisner are both over 1,000 career points, making them the first Oregon State teammates to both reach that mark since Hollye Chapman and Leilani Estavan in 2004
- The Beavers have won 39 of their last 45 games in a run that dates back to last season’s 11-game winning streak.
- Oregon State has held its opponent below 40 percent shooting 21 times this season, winning all 21 of those games. OSU has also held nine opponents below 30 percent from the floor, including limiting No. 6/6 North Carolina to 27.6 percent.
- The Beavers have hit 258 shots from beyond the arc this season. The school record is 288 set last season.
- Sydney Wiese and Ruth Hamblin combined to shoot 16-for-24 against South Dakota State on Friday.
“Canadian Hammer” Quick Hitters: Junior Ruth Hamblin was the media’s selection for Pac-12 Player of the Year, and earned consensus All-Pac-12 honors
-She was affectionately dubbed “The Canadian Hammer” by former Oregon State men’s basketball standout Joe Burton during her freshman season.
-She has more blocks this season than seven Pac-12 teams.
-Posted four blocks against South Dakota State, coming up just shy of her 13th five-block game this season.
SYDNEY WIESE QUICK HITTERS: Sydney Wiese was named All-Pac-12 for the second year in a row, and has proven to be an outstanding floor-general for the Beavers
-She hit her 200th career 3-pointer against South Dakota State, extending her school record.In just her sophomore season, Wiese will now take aim on Candice Wiggins' Pac-12 record for career 3-pointers, which sits at 295.
-Wiese has received national recognition throughout the season, as she was named to the Naismith Award Preseason Watch List in November, and was named to the Nancy Lieberman Award (best point guard) Final 15 last month.
-Wiese matched a season-high with 23 points agianst South Dakota State, notching her second 23-point outing in her last three games.
ALI GIBSON QUICK HITTERS: Ali Gibson is a glue player for the Beavers, as well as a team leader.
-Will play in her final game at Gill Coliseum Sunday. Gibson has started all 130 games Oregon State has played in the last four seasons, including 63 at Gill.
-Head coach Scott Rueck regularly refers to Gibson as “the perfect player at the perfect time”, because she took a chance when the OSU program was down and has helped build the team into what it is today.
MISCELLANEOUS QUICK HITTERS: Notes on the rest of the Oregon State squad
-Deven Hunter continued to distribute the ball against the Jackrabbits, notching four assists in the contest. She leads all Pac-12 forwards with an average of 2.9 assists per game, good for second on the team, and has tallied at least one assist in all but one game this season. Hunter has recorded four or more assists in three straight games.
-Head coach Scott Rueck received a two-year contract extension in October, keeping him at Oregon State through the 2019-20 season.
PAC-12 RECOGNITION: The Beavers have cornered the conferences honors this season.
-Head coach Scott Rueck was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year by both the media and the coaches. The honor was his third overall and second consecutive media Coach of the Year honor.
-Junior Ruth Hamblin was named the media’s Pac-12 Player of the Year. She was also the media and coaches’ consensus selection for Defensive Player of the Year.
-Hamblin was joined on the All-Pac-12 squad (coaches and media) by junior Jamie Weisner and sophomore Sydney Wiese. The trio of All-Pac-12 selections led the conference and is the most in Oregon State history
