UPSET! Beavers Take Down Ducks in Eugene, 88-77

For the second game in a row, the Oregon State Beavers have pulled off a huge upset on the road against a ranked team. This second time, victory tasted even sweeter, because it was against the #14 Ducks. Oregon had won the past three meetings between the teams, including a 20 point win in Corvallis back in December, but the Beavers controlled the pace for most of this game. Oregon State improves to 9-6 overall, and 7-6 in conference play.

The Beavers jumped out to a lead early in the first, with Aleah Goodman and Ellie Mack doing most of the damage. The Beavers struggled to contain Sedona Price however, and Oregon managed to grab a lead off a Price three pointer late in the quarter. The Ducks took a 21-18 lead into the second quarter, but they wouldn’t hold it for long.

Layups from Sasha Goforth and Taylor Jones to open the second gave Oregon State the lead back. The Ducks and Beavers would trade the lead for a bit, but late in the quarter some sharp shooting from Goforth put the Beavers in front, and they headed into the half up 38-35.

The Ducks hung close early in the third, but couldn’t get the lead back. With 5 minutes left in the quarter, the Beavers shifted into another gear. They shut the Ducks out from scoring for the next four minutes, and in the meantime Taylor Jones, Aleah Goodman and Talia Von Oelhoffen rained buckets on Oregon. By the end of the quarter the Beavers were up 11, 61-50.

OSU remained in control for the start of the first, at one point growing the lead to 17 points. The Ducks began to scrap their way back into the game, but thanks to the Beavers still being great from the three point line, could never get it close enough. With 2 minutes to go Taylor Mikesell hit a jumper to get the Beaver led down to 8, but that would be as close as Oregon would get it. Aleah Goodman hit a three, and Goodman and Goforth would ace their free throws when the Ducks resorted to fouling, to keep the game in the Beavers court. Oregon State wins 88-77.

OSU was once again excellent from beyond the three point line. They hit 11 of their 20 attempts, for a 55% shooting percentage. Taya Corosdale in particular was impressive, going 4-5 with her threes. Four Beavers hit double digits in scoring, with Goodman leading the way with 20 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Goforth was just behind her with 17 points and 1 rebound.

Taya Corosdale and Ellie Mack each had 14 points, with Corosdale adding 2 rebounds and 2 assists and Mack contributing 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Taylor Jones finished with 11 points, and led the team in rebounding with 9. Talia Von Oelhoffen rounded out the double digit scorers with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

The big question now is if the Beavers have done enough to ensure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They have two huge signature wins against top teams, but they missed a lot of games due to Covid protocols, and their record is just barely above .500. They clinched themselves the fifth seed in the Pac-12 tournament, which means they should be facing a 1-15 Cal team in the first round. A couple of wins in the conference tournament would greatly help their case for March Madness.