In a defensive showcase, Oregon State shut down anything the Arizona Wildcats could throw at them, en route to a 65 to 40 win. Early threes from Kat Tudor and Katie McWilliams helped build a 14 point lead by the end of the first quarter, and the scoring margin would only grow from there.

The centerpiece of the Beavers’ D was Marie Gulich, who helped to almost completely shut the Wildcats out of the paint. Arizona only scored 10 points off layups over the course of the game, and 4 of those came in the last couple minutes of the game after starters were pulled.

The perimeter was no kinder to the Wildcats. Arizona shot only 27% on field goals, and went 3 for 16 on three pointers. The Beavers also managed to cut down on turnovers, and for the first time in a long time this season, the points off turnovers margin favored Oregon State, 11-4.

Marie Gulich was once again the star of the show for OSU. She combined her strong defensive game with her usual offensive display, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds.

The big lead allowed coach Scott Rueck to deploy his bench more than usual, and they showed up well tonight. Joanna Grymek helped lock down the key, while Aleah Goodman and Taylor Kalmer saw a lot of minutes harassing the perimeter. All together, the bench managed 18 points tonight, a nice preview of some of the younger players we’ll see more of in the next few years.

Arizona’s leading scorer was forward Destiny Graham, with 13 points. Freshman forward Sam Thomas, one of the most exciting freshmen in the conference, was matched up with Marie Gulich for most of the night and only managed 2 points.

Up Next

Arizona slips to 6-22 overall, and 2-15 in the PAC-12. They’ll finish their regular season the way no one wants to; playing against the conferences best team, the Oregon Ducks.

Oregon State sits at 22-6 overall, and 13-4 in the PAC-12. With Oregon locking up the first overall seed in the PAC-12 this weekend, OSU, UCLA, and Stanford are jockeying for position behind them. Oregon State is currently tied with UCLA for third place in the PAC 12, with both schools half a game back from Stanford, who is playing as this article is being written. Oregon State will look to solidify their position heading into the PAC-12 tournament against Arizona State on Sunday, at 1:00.