Oregon State survived a frenzied comeback from South Carolina in the semi-final off the Vancouver Showcase, winning 70-68. The Beavers final points came from Katie McWilliams at the foul line, with 2 seconds left on the clock. McWilliams nailed her shots, and kept the Beavers out of overtime.

The Beavers had led by 9 at the start of the fourth quarter, and at one point led by 15, but the Gamecocks slowly but surely worked their way back into the game. It was a team effort from the Gamecocks, with Doniyah Cliney and Alexis Jennings making big contributions, but it was Te’a Cooper who hit a three point shot to tie the game up with 25 seconds to go.

With little time left and the team’s scrambling for the win, Destiny Slocum recovered a loose ball, and passed it to McWilliams, who was fouled on her shot attempt by Tyasha Harris. McWilliams scored to give the Beavers back the lead, and Cooper missed the one shot South Carolina had time for to give the Beavers the win.

Katie McWilliams Is Cold As Ice

We all knew that from her heroics against Baylor in last season’s NCAA tournament, but in case anyone had forgotten, McBuckets is exactly the woman who want with the ball in her hands with the game on the line.

In addition to icing the game, McWilliams had 14 points, one assist and one rebound. She was also a perfect 2 for 2 from behind the arc.

Mikayla Pivec Continues to Be Good at Everything

Pivec is an all purpose wrecking ball. In addition to usually being one of the Beavers top scorers, she shows up almost everywhere in the box score. Tonight she had 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks.

Taya Corosdale Had a Big Night

Against the toughest team the Beavers have faced so far, Corosdale had her best game of the year. She finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block. It was great seeing Corosdale step up in a big way and become a threat while some of the other team members struggled.

Destiny Slocum - Wow

Just wow.

The Beavers Lost the Turnover Battle, Badly

It didn’t cost them the win tonight, but this was the team’s number one issue last season. Oregon State turned the ball over 14 times, compared to South Carolina’s six. Turnovers were one of the things that fueled the Gamecocks comeback. This was the team’s biggest problem last year, and it’s disheartening to think they may not have fixed that issue.

Tomorrow, Oregon State will take on the tournament’s number one seed, and the nation’s top ranked team, Notre Dame. Tip off is at 5:00 PM PT. You’ll have to buy the game on the Vancouver Showcase’s website if you want to watch. If not, you can listen on the radio or follow the team’s twitter for updates.