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The 15th ranked Oregon State Women’s Basketball team takes on the 7th ranked UCLA Bruins on Friday night at 8 PM PST. UCLA won the first match-up in Los Angeles, handing Oregon State their worst loss of the season, 84-49. Will the Beavers prevail with a payback win in Gill Coliseum? Check out the game on the Pac-12 Network, listen on the Oregon State Beaver Sports Network, or follow along on the team’s official Twitter account. Let’s get a refresher on the Bruins.
UCLA (15th in AP Poll, 21-4 overall, 12-2 Pac-12)
After picking apart the Beavers six weeks ago, the Bruins lost to Oregon, but then have won 10 straight games. They stand at the top of the conference along with Oregon and the Cardinal at two conference losses a piece.
Their dynamic duo of senior guard Jordin Canada and senior forward Monique Billings continue to pave the way, averaging 15.4 and 14.4 points per game respectively. Canada has remained the conference leader in steals (3.2 per game) while Billings is currently the leader in rebounds (9.6 per game).
UCLA and Oregon State find similarities in that they are both in the top three of the conference for scoring offense, scoring defense, scoring margin, field goal percentage defense, rebounding margin, and assists.
Prediction
In their last meeting the Bruins were in the pocket of Beaver guards all night, collecting 12 steals and forcing 21 turnovers. Front court players Marie Gulich and Taya Corosdale had efficient nights, finishing 13-of-17 from the floor for 26 points, but it wasn’t enough to make up for Mikayla Pivec’s 1-for-9 performance and Kat Tudor’s near offensive absence (one shot attempt).
I don’t anticipate that Pivec and Tudor will have repeat performances, especially after finding good their groove again in Seattle (12-of-15 collectively). But expect UCLA to utilize that dreaded full-court press again to disrupt the Oregon State’s ability to get the ball up the court. Bruins hand the Beavers another loss in a game that should be closer than the first.