Gonzaga Blows Out Oregon State Women 67-37

Just over a week ago in Corvallis the Oregon State women took Gonzaga into overtime and came out with a hard fought, 92-87 victory. Thursday night's rematch in Spokane was a different story, as the Bulldogs shutdown the Beavers best scorers en route to a dominant, 67-37 win. The loss drops Oregon State to 17-7 overall, and 9-2 in conference play.

Kennedie Shuler scored the first two points of the night for Oregon State, but those would be the only points she'd get, as Gonzaga shut her out of the rest of the game. Lauren Whittaker and Ines Bettencourt combined to take the lead for the Bulldogs. Tiara Bolden and Lizzy Williamson managed to keep the game close for Oregon State, but back to back threes from Bettencourt to close out the quarter gave Gonzaga a six point, 19-13 lead.

Gonzaga stayed in control in the second quarter, Lauren Whittaker and Allie Turner kept the baskets flowing for the Bulldogs, while the Beavers struggled to find any openings. Jenna Villa and Nene Sow fought to keep the Beavers within spitting distance of Gonzaga, but other than free throws Oregon State could just not find any decent scoring lanes. By the end of the first half, Gonzaga held a 13 point, 36-23 lead.

Nothing changed in the second half. It took the Beavers over three minutes to get their first points of the half, a Lizzy Willilamson layup, but by that time the Gonzaga lead was nearly 20. After Williamson's basket, Jenna Villa added a layup and a pair of free throws, and Nene Sow hit a single free throw, and that was it for Oregon State's scoring in the third. Lauren Whittaker and the Bulldogs continued to bring the pain to the Beavers, finishing the third up 26, 56-30.

Things settled down in the fourth. The Beavers didn't managed to improve their scoring as they were held to seven points again, but Gonzaga took their foot off the gas and were focused on burning clock and keeping Oregon State tied down. A pair of free throws from Jaiden Haile finished off the game's scoring, giving Gonzaga a 30 point, 67-37 victory.

For most of Scott Rueck's tenure as head coach the Beavers have been a team that focused on quick ball movement and aggressive passing to find scoring opportunities, and Thursday night Gonzaga figured out how to take away that part of the game. The Beavers only managed five assists while turning the ball over 20 times. Hard to win with those stats.

No Beavers broke double digits in points scored Thursday night. Tiara Bolden led the Beavs with nine points and two rebounds. Jenna Villa finished with eight points and six rebounds. Kennedie Shuler was the biggest victim of the Bulldogs' defense. After winning back to back West Coast Conference Player of the Week honors, she was held to just two points Thursday.

The Beavers will look to bounce back on Saturday, February 7th. Oregon State will be just north of Corvallis, taking on the Portland Pilots in what should be another important game in the West Coast Conference standings. Tip off is set for 2 PM PT.