After two days of rest, and with revenge on their mind, the Oregon State Beavers came into Matthew Knight Arena with different energy. The No. 24 ranked Ducks (16-8, 9-4 Pac-12) finished off the weekend doubleheader against the Beavers (12-9, 5-6 Pac-12) with a depleting loss, 68-62. After a hard fought performance in Corvallis on Friday, the Ducks simply couldn’t perform on their home turf.
Oregon was looking for its third straight victory after back-to-back offensive slumps on its trip in Arizona. It’s safe to say this team relies heavily on its offense. In their two-game slump, the Ducks averaged just over 48 points compared to 78 on the two-game winning streak. The low-scoring performances left behind in Arizona returned for Kelly Graves’ squad Saturday.
“Obviously we’re disappointed,” Graves said. “Another poor shooting performance. Oregon State — they wanted that game more than we did.”
The game’s start had a similar aura to the one on Friday. Both teams struggled to score in abundance but kept it close. Nearing the end of the second half is when the game started to take its shape.
A 3 minute scoring drought followed by another 4 minute drought put Oregon in a dangerous position. Despite the offensive miscues, Oregon’s defense prevented the game from being an early blowout. The Ducks forced 19 turnovers but rarely capitalized.
The Beavers ended on a 13-0 run, giving them a 32-22 lead at the end of two. Most of the Beavers’ scoring came from star freshman Talia Von Oelhoffen. Von Oelhoffen lit up the stat sheet, totaling 23 points and securing 12 rebounds in the game.
What the Beavers lacked on turnover differential was made up by rebounding and free throws. Oregon was outrebounded 41-26 and also knocked down just 12 free throws compared to Oregon State’s 26.
“We coached a poor game tonight, and our team didn’t play a great game,” Graves said. “It’s unfortunate because we spoiled a good crowd at home here, and I really thought we were starting to build some momentum after the Washington State game and the game in Corvallis.”
Oregon started a slow comeback during the third quarter. Te-Hina Paopao started seeing some baskets fall, and Kylee Watson brought great defensive energy to an already stellar defensive team performance. The halftime lead was wiped out on an 8-0 run but returned to a 5 point deficit with 10 minutes to go.
The star trio of Sabally, Paopao and Rogers were responsible for 46 of Oregon’s 62 points but did not have the same efficiency they’re accustomed to. Sabally shot 4-of-11 on the day compared to her 55% average, and the team shot 37.1% in total.
Oregon State edged out the final quarter hanging on to its single digit lead. Von Oelhoffen’s 4 point second half was not as dreadful as it could have been. Ellie Mack and Taya Corosdale took over the offensive responsibility and kept the win in reach.
The highest scoring quarter for both teams resulted in an exciting finish. Baskets traded left and right had the lead stay relatively stagnant. Without enough last minute stops, the lead was too much for Oregon to overcome. Oregon State now gets to take their own victory ride home.
Oregon returns home to face UCLA on Friday in a much needed win. This loss sits the Ducks at third in the Pac-12 with five games to go in the regular season.
