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UCLA played tough the entire game, but they couldn’t keep pace with Oregon State, who improved to 3-0 in Pac-12 play after a gritty win over the Bruins.
The game started off as a back-and-forth brawl, with the team’s exchanging leads throughout the first quarter, but never by much. With less than a minute to go, Mikayla Pivec hit a three , with an assist from Destiny Slocum, to give the Beavers a two point lead. Pivec’s scoring and Slocum’s assists would be the story of the night.
In the second quarter, despite some nice layups from Jo Grymek, the Bruins took the lead back. That didn’t sit well with Slocum. She hit a three to get back the lead, and then was involved in almost all the rest of OSU’s points in the half. She was either getting them herself, often at the free throw line as the game got even more physical, or by serving up assists to Pivec and Aleah Goodman. The Beavers took a slim 36-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, the Beavers managed to defend that lead, but UCLA made it tough. The Bruins absolutely dominated the offensive boards in the second half, and that meant the Beavers could never quite put them away.’
As the fourth quarter ticked away, the game came down to execution. The Beavers executed, and the Bruins couldn’t. Costly turnovers and needless fouls doomed UCLA. The Beavers scored 10 points off turnovers and were nearly perfect from the foul strip, 15 for 16.
Oregon State slowly but surely built that lead, and UCLA couldn’t find the shooting to get it back down, giving the Beavers their first win at Pauley Pavillion since early 2015.
Slocum was the star off the show for OSU tonight, with 22 points and 8 assists. Slocum has really established herself as a premier floor general, making everyone else on the team a huge scoring threat.
Mikayla Pivec has always been one of those threats, and she did it again tonight, with 21 points, and 7 rebounds. Jo Grymek was another of Slocum’s favorite targets, and got 12 points in the post tonight. Taya Corosdale rounded out the Beavers top scorers, with 13 points and 9 rebounds.
The Beavers, 3-0 in the Pac-12 and 13-2 overall, will continue there Los Angeles trip, taking on USC this Sunday. Tip off is at 12:00 PM PST. Check back with Building the Dam for a preview.