Dominant Defense Propels Beavers to 68-38 Win Over Seattle
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The Oregon State women picked up their seventh win in a row Saturday afternoon, with a dominant defensive effort giving the Beavers a 30 point win over Seattle. The win improves the Beavers record to 13-5 overall, and 5-0 in the West Coast Conference.
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Oregon State's stars helped the Beavers build an early lead in the first quarter. Jenna Villa put up five points in the first three minutes of the game, and Seattle struggled to defend Kennedie Shuler, who was four for five from the field for an eight point quarter. Oregon State got their lead as high as eleven before a three from Seattle's Sydnie Rodriguez trimmed the margin to eight, 22-14, at the end of the quarter.
The Beavers' scoring slowed down in the second quarter, but the Redhawks weren't able to cut into the Oregon State lead. A pair of threes from Jenna Villa early in the second got teh Beaver lead up to 16, but that was matched by a 10 point Redhawk run carried by Ella Brubaker and Fia Proctor. Oregon State managed to get the Beaver lead back up to eleven, but a Tamia Stricklin three in the final minute of the half got it back down to eight, 35-27.
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Oregon State's defense locked down Seattle in the third quarter, allowing only a pair of free throws from Tamia Stricklin in the first seven minutes of the period. In the meantime Kennedie Shuler and Tiara Bolden kept Oregon State's scoring pressure up, while Nene Sow locked down the key. A three from Lucija Milkovic and a layup from Jana Vesic got the Redhawks some points late in the quarter, but the Beavers entered the fourth up 17, 51-34.
The Oregon State D stayed locked in in the fourth quarter. Oregon State held the Redhawks to only two points for much of the quarter, before late scores from Ella Brubaker and Jana Vesic got Seattle some scoring. Kennedie Shuler and Tiara Bolden kept the Oregon State scoring going, and Mackenzie Shivers came off the bench to grab some late points. A pair of free throws from Shivers capped off the game's scoring, with the game ending in a thirty point, 68-38 Beaver victory.
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Three Beavers hit double digits Saturday, and it was the exact three you would expect. Jenna Villa again led the team in scoring, with 19 points, three rebounds and an assist. Kennedie Shuler was right behind her with 18 points, along with seven rebounds, seven steals and six assists. Tiara Bolden added 12 points, five rebounds and three assists to round out the top scorers. Also worth shouting out is Nene Sow, who only scored four points, but who absolutely dominated the paint, pulling down 10 rebounds and a block.
The Beavers will be back on the road next weekend, in Southern California for a pair of games. Up first will be Loyola Marymount, who the Beavers will face on Thursday, January 15th, with tip off set for 6 PM PT.
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Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for On SI, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.