As Oregon State’s point guard dribbled down the court, she didn’t realize that Taylor Hosendove was behind her.
The Beavers’ Shalexxus Aaron was starting to slow down to let her team get settled so they could start the play. When Hosendove sprinted up to her, she reached her arm out and swiped the ball behind her.
The ball bounced a few times untouched, but once Hosendove was able to turn around, she took it and sprinted into the paint. Three different Oregon State players were on her, but she was able to pass the ball out to Taya Hanson, who was wide open at the top of the three-point line.
Deep and mid-range shots are what kept the Ducks competitive throughout the game. Oregon only had 16 points in the paint compared to Oregon State’s 46. This game showed the importance of having a variety of shots as the Ducks lost to their in-state rival 68-65.
Despite the majority of OSU’s points coming from near the basket, Phillipina Kyei’s presence was felt. Even though she was given limited minutes Friday night, since she was taken off of the injured list right before the game after she left the contest against Washington State in the second quarter for concussion protocol, she forced Oregon State’s posts to pass the ball around.
For Oregon State, freshman Timea Gardiner, who has only appeared in three games all season due to injury, looked like she’d been playing all season. She was 7-of-10 with 15 points, and contributed in every way possible with rebounds, assists and blocks.
The Ducks had two of their team’s leading scorers, Grace VanSlooten and Endyia Rogers, combined for one point at halftime, and finished the game with a total of 15 combined points. But, other players stepped up and filled in the gap. Hanson was 4-of-6 from the three point line and finished with 14 points.
Chance Gray, who was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week after her performance against Washington State, started to find a rhythm late in the game.
She scored nine of her 18 points in the fourth quarter, and all of them were behind the arc. With six three-pointers, she broke her career high right after she tied it in the previous game.
The Beavers ended the third quarter with a scoring run that gave them a nine point lead, but the Ducks were able to slowly inch their way back. With 1:30 left in the game, Hanson scored on a three-point jumper on the fastbreak after a turnover to bring the score within three. From there, it was a back-and-forth scoring cycle, but the Ducks had the opportunity to tie the game with a layup or win it with a three pointer.
While the clock was winding down, Rogers found an open lane to the basket. As she jumped up to score, the ball spun around the rim and rolled out, and the Ducks weren’t able to recover.
The Ducks will continue their road trip in California where they’ll face Cal and No. 4 ranked Stanford. Half of the teams in the conference are ranked in the top 25, and Oregon won’t have it easy for the rest of the season. But, they currently don’t have any players out and with a full, healthy roster, the Ducks are able to experiment.
