Oregon State WBB: Beavers Fall to UCLA in OT For Third Loss in a Row

Despite leading for much of the game, the Beavers couldn’t seal the win againnst 8th ranked UCLA last night, falling in Overtime 83-74. This is the Beavers third loss in a row, and they have now lost 6 of their last 10 games. They sit at 19-7 overall, and 7-7 in the Pac-12, which puts the team in sixth in the conference.

The game started as everyone expected; Mikayla Pivec, Destiny Slocum and Taylor Jones led a balanced offense for the Beavers while UCLA’s side of the game was the Michaela Onyenwere show. After a tough fought 1Q, the Bruins were up 2, 16-14.

The Beavers offense continued to look good in the second, but the defense really stepped up, shutting Onyenwere out for the quarter. Destiny Slocum in particular looked great, hitting an amazing pair of threes, and the Beavers managed to end the half with a 31-26 lead.

Unfortunately, like many of the games the Beavers have struggled in, things began to slip away in the third. After a tight, defensive game, both offensives exploded during the quarter. The Beavers got strong performances out of Destiny Slocum and Jasmine Simmons, but the Bruins had the edge, with Charisma Osborne and Japreece Dean each scoring nine to help tie the game up with a minute to go. A Jasmine Simmons three gave the Beavers a three point lead heading into the fourth.

Scoring in the fourth dried up for the Beavers, but they did their best to drag UCLA down with them. They managed to stay just in front of the Bruins, until a Kiara Jefferson jumper with 3 minutes to gave UCLA their first lead of the second half. A Maddie Washington layup tied things up just seconds later, but neither team could find the rim for the final two minutes of regulation, sending the game to OT.

Overtime was all UCLA. The Bruins went on a 9 point run early in the period to establish a big lead the Beavers were never able to chip away at. Big threes from Charisma Osborne and Japreece Dean essentially shut the door on any hope of a Beaver comeback.

Despite the loss, Mikayla Pivec and Destiny Jones once again had big games, with each scoring 19 points. Pivec also had 9 rebounds and 3 assists, while Slocum had 4 assists and 2 rebounds. Jasmine Simmons had one of her best games offensively, with 11 points, 4 rebounds and an assist. Taylor Jones finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds and an assist. Jones fouling out late in another physical game really hurt the Beavers late, as they had little post scoring pressure.

The Beavers are probably in for another big drop in the polls next week. With Kennedy Brown’s injury, and the team’s inability to close out close games, a once promising season is starting to fall apart. It’s not going to get easier any time soon. The Beavers will be on the road again next weekend, taking on 4th ranked Stanford on Friday, February 21st and Cal on Sunday, February 23rd.