Oregon State WBB: Beavers Survive Tough Challenge From Washington, Win 75-61

The Washington Huskies gave Oregon State all they could handle, but the Beavers prevailed in the end, pulling away late in the fourth quarter to get a 75-61 victory. The Beavers improve to 21-8, and 9-8 in conference.

A pair of early threes from Destiny Slocum set the Beavers up for a good first quarter, but Washington would not be put away so easily. The Huskies had a balanced offense early, but an Amber Melgoza jumper that cut the OSU lead to two offered a preview of the rest of the game.

Melgoza emerged as the dominant presence on the court in the second quarter, scoring 16 points while the rest of the Huskies combined to score 6. That wasn’t enough to build a lead on the Beavers though. While Washington had some success pressing the Beavers around the perimeter, if they managed to get the ball into Taylor Jones, it was almost impossible for the Huskies to stop her. She had 10 for the quarter. Aleah Goodman was also a pain for Washington to deal with, hitting 3 three pointers in the 2nd. At the end of the first half, the Beavers hung onto their two point lead, 40-38.

Melgoza gave the Huskies the lead after the break with a quick pair of jumpers, but Mikayla Pivec and Destiny Slocum got the Beavers back in front in short order. Both teams struggled to hit their shots in the third, with both defenses playing extremely aggressively. Another Taylor Jones layup toward the end of the third gave the Beavers a 4 point lead headed into the fourth.

Oregon State started to grind down the Huskies in the fourth, with only Melgoza able to generate any scoring for Washington. Mikayla Pivec started the Beavers on a run, and threes from Kat Tudor got the Beavers a double digit lead. Some tough defensive play kept Oregon State in front, and the Beavers got the 14 point win, 75-61.

Despite Washington’s loss, Amber Melgoza was the star on the court tonight. Melgoza scored over half of Washington’s points, with 34 points and 7 rebounds at the end of the night.

For the Beavers, Aleah Goodman led the team in scoring behind some excellent three point shooting. She was 6 for 11 from behind the arc, finishing with 22 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists. Taylor Jones was right behind her with 21 points, 8 rebounds an 1 assist. Much of Washington’s defense was focused on keeping Jones isolated from the rest of the team, but when they could find a way to get the ball to her in the key, she was just about perfect.

Destiny Slocum finished with 11 points, 5 assists and 1 rebound. Mikayla Pivec had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists for another double double.

The last game of the regular season will be tomorrow, March 1st. The Beavers will take on Washington State at Gill Coliseum with tip of set for 12:00 PM PST. Depending on how seeding shakes out for the NCAA Tournament, it could be your last chance to see Mikayla Pivec, Kat Tudor and any of the other seniors, so get to Gill if you can.