How Oregon State Reached the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament
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On Saturday, Scott Rueck's Beavers will battle the 3 seed North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
Naturally, that begs the question: how did we get here?
Left for dead after a mass exodus of talent eleven months ago, Rueck recruited far-and-wide to retool his roster, and after a 1-5 struggle to start the season, the Beavers rallied, winning the WCC tournament championship. Here's how it happened:
1. Oregon State Has a "Death Lineup"
Early in the season, the Oregon State offense slumped, but there was a flicker of hope: when the Beavers tried a lineup of Aly Schimel, AJ Marotte, Tiara Bolden, Catarina Ferreira, and Kelsey Rees, good things happened. Oozing quickness and length, that five exceled at converting turnovers into transition buckets.
Like a fine wine, the Beavers' Death Lineup got better with age. Halfway through the season, Oregon State averaged 2.5 blocks per game, and 5.75 steals per game. In the second half of the year, they averaged 4 blocks per game and 6.44 steals per game. Shooting went up too: early losses to Minnesota, Illinois, Miami and others featured the orange & black struggling to crack 40% from the field, but now they regularly break 40% and sometimes eclipse 50%. This marriage of defense and offense is best exemplified by the WCC title game. In the second quarter, the Beavers raced ahead of Portland thanks to an 18-4 run.
2. Catarina Ferreira Is a Two-Way Terror
Last season's Elite Eight run was partly driven by the emergence of Donovyn Hunter: a long, quick, two-way playmaker. Hunter's transfer left the Beavers with a glaring vacancy.
Enter Catarina Ferreira: the Brazilian senior transfer from Baylor soared to new heights this season. In the conference quarterfinals against San Francisco, she scored 19 points on 60% field goal shooting. In the semifinals against Gonzaga, she earned another 19 points thanks to 75% three point shooting. In the final against Portland, her 16 points paired with 12 rebounds. Averaging over a steal per game, Ferreira has proven herself as the two-way playmaker Oregon State desperately needed.
3. Kennedie Shuler is an Assassin
If pressure creates diamonds, then Kennedie Shuler is the Beavers' crown jewel. The sophomore guard from Gresham has repeatedly come in clutch, knocking down game-winning shots to beat Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara in early January, then downing top-seed Gonzaga in the final second of the WCC semis.
Arguably, this is nothing new. At Barlow HS, Shuler made multiple state tournament trips. I vividly remember covering a state quarterfinal where then-junior Shuler led Barlow to a massive upset over higher seed South Medford. The Panthers, led by Donovyn Hunter, ramped up a ferocious full-court pressing defense, but Shuler refused to surrender the basketball. When you turn up the heat, Kennedie Shuler has ice in her veins.
No matter what happens Saturday in Chapel Hill, expect key contributions from Oregon State's death lineup, Oregon State's emerging star, and Oregon State's clutch performer.
More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI
Matt fell in love with radio during his college days at Oregon Tech, and pursued a nine year career in sports broadcasting with Klamath Falls' and Medford's highest-rated sports radio stations. He currently lives in McMinnville wine country and is excited to talk about the Beavers again.