LAS VEGAS — The Ducks will open their first postseason game against Oregon State in Las Vegas on Thursday. Oregon received a first-round bye on Wednesday as the No. 4 seed, awaiting the winner of the opening-round matchup between Oregon State and Cal.
The No. 5 seed Oregon State pulled away from last-seeded Cal in the second half, 71-63, after the Golden Bears came within three early in the third quarter. Known for their lethal shooting beyond the arc, the Beavers pushed the ball in transition leading to easy points that suppressed a late Cal rally.
After starting off conference play 1-5 before nearly a month of not playing, Oregon State has won six of their last seven games, including their last season game against Oregon last week with two-straight road victories.
Senior Aleah Goodman leads the Beavers averaging 16.8 points, five assists per game and a 52.6% three-point shooting percentage— a mark that ranks second nationally. The senior, along with sophomore Taylor Jones, was named to the 2020-21 All-Pac 12 team. She also earned Pac-12 Player of the Week and ESPNW National Player of the Week on February 22.
On Thursday, Oregon needs to hold Goodman to a low-scoring game and prevent Jones from solidifying position in the paint. Constant ball pressure and solid defensive rotations will be key in Thursday’s game to prevent the two players from dominating inside and out.
Each team has one win apiece in the interstate rivalry showdown. Oregon took the first meeting in Corvallis with a dominant 79-59 win, the program’s biggest win over the Beavers since 2010.
In their last meeting, Oregon struggled in finding its offensive flow without point guard Te-Hina Paopao against Oregon State’s 2-3 zone defense. Oregon’s loss to the Beavers on Senior Night was its first loss to them since the 2018-19 season.
Sunday’s loss halted momentum they hoped to create going into this week’s tournament, but it also dropped the Ducks to their lowest AP poll ranking at No. 19.
Oregon will look to win the season series on Thursday at 11 a.m. PT in the quarterfinals.
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