Oregon State Shuts Down San Francisco for 75-53 Win
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Kennedie Shuler continues to look like the best player in the West Coast Conference.
Shuler leding Oregon State to another big conference win Saturday afternoon as the Beavers took down the San Francisco Dons 75-53 to move to 9-1 in conference play and 17-6 overall.
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After going scoreless Thursday night against San Diego, Jenna Villa got the first points of the game on Saturday with a driving layup for an early Beaver lead. Villa continued to light things up in the first, hitting two threes and scoring 10 total points, while Kennedie Shuler continued to to make big defensive plays, picking up a steal. Oregon State held onto a nine point, 23-14 lead after the first.
Early foul trouble limited Shuler and Tiara Bolden's ability to contribute in the second, and that gave San Francisco a window to claw back into the game. A late run from the Dons cut the Oregon State lead down considerably, with an Ally Schimel layup the only points the Beavers managed in the final five minutes of the half. Oregon State clung onto a three point 31-28 at halftime.
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The Beavers stabilized early in the third, with Kennedie Shuler, Lizzy Williamson and Jenna Villa scoring to stretch the lead back up to nine. Williamson in particular really took control in the third, helping to shut down San Francisco in the paint and landing a pair of shots in the final minutes of the quarter to put the Beaver lead at 11, 54-43, entering the final quarter.
A three from Jenna Villa opened the fourth. Another three from Ally Schimel a few minutes later doused any San Francisco momentum. San Francisco wilted down the stretch, not being able to find many good shots and missing most of the ones they took, shooting a 35.7 during the final quarter. The Beavers kept the pressure on, with an Elisa Mehyar free throw capping the game at a 22 point, 75-53 win.
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Kennedie Shuler led the Beavers in scoring with 19 points, seven assists and four rebounds. She also logged a pair of steals, continuing her strong defensive playmaking. Lizzy Williamson was right behind her, with 18 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Jenna Villa finished with 15 points and five rebounds, while Ally Schimel added 11 points, four assists and one rebound.
Oregon State will be right back into the fire next week with a crucial pair of games. On Thursday, February 4th, the Beavers will travel to Spokane for a rematch against Gonzaga, with the Bulldogs hungry to make up ground in the conference standings. The Beavers will face another of the WCC's top teams, the Portland Pilots, in Portland on Saturday, February 7th. It'll be a make or break weekend for the team.
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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.