How quickly things can change. Oregon’s women’s basketball team came within seconds of earning its fourth conference win and moving within a game of .500.
Oregon State guard Mandy Close changed all that Wednesday evening in Corvallis.
Her length-of-the-floor drive which culminated with the go-ahead layup and foul propelled Oregon State to a 63-61 win and left Oregon to look forward to the Civil War rematch Saturday afternoon at McArthur Court.
Scheduled for 1 p.m. and televised on OSN, Oregon (12-7 overall, 3-6 Pacific-10 Conference) looks to rebound in the odd scheduling quirk that paired two rivalry games in one week.
The Oregon State team Oregon saw Wednesday proved far superior to previous years’ versions, including an 82-58 Ducks rout in Corvallis last season.
What Oregon State (9-8, 3-6) lacks in talent and depth (only 10 players) is made up for with precision and hustle. Just glance at Oregon State’s stat sheet, where the Beavers had more offensive rebounds (18) than defensive (17).
Oregon State forward Kim Butler was a force down low, scoring 26 points on a variety of low post shots.
“They isolate her very well,” Oregon coach Bev Smith said. “She plays a three and defends at the four (position) so she’s an interesting matchup.”
Another area of concern centered on Close, who used screens near the free-throw line to pour in 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
She efficiently ran Oregon State’s offense to a team record for fewest turnovers with six.
“She plays with a lot of heart,” Oregon point guard Kaela Chapdelaine said. “She’s a great leader for this team and she’s just had a spectacular season.”
Chapdelaine continued her strong play coming off her career high 18-point performance against Washington last Saturday. She made three from beyond the arc without a turnover in Corvallis.
Gabrielle Richards powered Oregon’s resurgence from an eight-point halftime deficit with career highs in points (23) and rebounds (13). She scored eight during Oregon’s 17-7 run to start the second half as the Ducks took a 47-41 lead.
Richards showed stamina she missed after suffering from the flu following the Arizona road trip and in games against Washington State and Washington.
She had three shots at the game’s end that came up short, with the last one coming off a high ball screen, which Chapdelaine said Oregon ran too early. Oregon managed to get Richards the ball, whose shot glanced off the rim.
“You make some. You miss some,” Chapdelaine said. “It comes down to every single possession, every single little detail that we need to focus on.”
The one area the Ducks can’t improve on Saturday is winning on the road. Oregon will have to wait until next week’s trip to the Bay Area to play Stanford and California.
Counting Oregon State, Oregon has three “It’s tough and playing on the road you’ve got to be tough,” Chapdelaine said. “We’ve struggled with that in the past years, and what is encouraging is we are having closer games than in the past.”
While true, close losses magnify the little things Smith mentioned in postgame interviews: defensive stops, offensive execution and early shots.
“It’s being that much more composed on the road and not letting other things affect you and staying together a little bit more,” Smith said.
First-year Oregon State coach LaVonda Wagner inherited a veteran lineup this season, headlined by Close and Butler. Four starters are seniors who made the adjustment to a new coaching staff and system.
“They’ve been very good about listening and making changes,” Wagner said in a telephone interview Tuesday morning.
After finishing 6-23 overall and 1-17 in conference last season, Oregon State needs to make progress to draw recruits, Wagner said.
“A lot of times you have to show signs of getting better so people will buy into it,” she added.
Oregon State already has surpassed its win total of last season: nine overall wins to six and three conference wins to one.