Oregon State Takes Down Gonzaga 92-87 in Overtime Thriller

In what is sure to be an all time classic, Oregon State and Gonzaga battled back and forth for control of the top of the West Coast Conference standings. It was the Beavers who came out on top in overtime, beating the Bulldogs 92-87. The win puts the Beavers record at 14-6 overall, and 6-1 in the WCC.

The first quarter set the stage for the game that was to come. Lauren Whittaker got the Bulldogs the first point of the game, but a pair of free throws from Kennedie Shuler and a Tiara Bolden three gave the Beavers an early lead. Gonzaga got the lead back a few minutes later with a Teryn Gardner three, but Jenna Villa answered back with a Beaver three, and by the end of the first Oregon State held onto a three point, 23-20 lead.

A three from Katelyn Field and a layup from Lizzy Williamson got the Oregon State lead up to eight early in the second, but then Gonzaga turned on the pressure. Eight points from Lauren Whittaker ate into the Beaver lead, aided by big buckets from Allie Turner and Ines Bettencourt. A pair of layups from Turner tied the game at 40 as the first half ended.

Oregon State grabbed the lead back in the third with a Kennedie Shuler layup and a Jenna Villa three. After a relatively quiet first half, Villa had a big third quarter, going three for three on three point attempts helping the Beavers solidify their lead. Still, the Beavers could not contain Lauren Whittaker, who drained a three to cut the Beaver lead to five, 61-56, as the quarter ended.

A jumper from Zeryhia Aokuso and a three from Sierra Lichtie tied the game for Gonzaga early in the fourth. Kennedie Shuler and Ally Schimel got the lead back for the Beavers, but they could not keep the Bulldogs down. A Lauren Whittaker layup with an and one got Gonzaga within two points with two minutes left in regulation. With time running out, the Bulldogs sent Jenna Vila to the foul line, and she was able to get the Beaver lead back up to four with 50 seconds to go.

Oregon State regained possession and Gonzaga fouled Villa gain, but this time she missed one of her free throws. The Beavers still held a five point lead with less than a minute to go. Whittaker hit a field goal to get that to four, but Villa was fouled again and got the Beaver lead up to six with 25 seconds left. A driving layup from Whittaker got it back to four again, and Villa was fouled again, but missed one of her free throws. Five point Beaver lead, 12 seconds to go.

Whittaker hit another layup, cutting the Beaver lead to three, and accompanies it with a foul shot, making it a two point game. With eight seconds left in regulation Jenna Villa is fouled once again, making one and missing one for a three point OSU lead. Gonzaga has one last chance to tie things up, and they give the ball to Paige Lofing. She finds her shot perfectly, hitting a three to send the game to overtime, tied 79-79.

The game continued to be foul heavy in extra time. Kennedie Shuler and Lizzy Williamson both fouled out of the game, as did Teryn Gardner for the Bulldogs. Gonzaga put the first points on the board in OT, with a Zeryhia Aokuso free throw, but free throws from Jenna Villa put the lead back in Beaver hands. While Oregon State had struggled at the foul line late in the fourth, in OT it was Gonzaga who had free throw troubles, with Lauren Whittaker, Sierra Lichtie and Zeryhia Aokuso each missing key shots.

That allowed the Beavers to stay in front, though never by much. With 24 seconds to go Aokuso hit a free throw to get Gonzaga within one. Ally Schimel was the next player at the foul line, and she made her shots to put the Beavers up three. Whittaker answered with a pair of free throws for the Bulldogs, but Jenna Villa was the next player to be fouled, and this time she didn't miss her shots. Whittaker tried to tie the game with a three with two seconds to go, but this time the shot didn't land. Villa hit one final pair of free throws to put the icing on the game, a 92-87 win for the Beavs.

While she'll want some of those free throw attempts back, it was another huge game from Jenna Villa, who finished the night with 31 points, six rebounds and an assist. Kennedie Shuler had a career game, with 17 points, ten steals, nine assists, five rebounds and three blocks. Oregon State would not have won this game without the defensive playmaking she displayed. Ally Schimel, with 15 points, and Tiara Bolden, with 14, rounded out the Beavers top scorers.

Oregon State will have a week to recuperate from what must have been an exhausting game. Next Thursday, January 29th, they'll be hosting San Diego, with tip off set for 6 PM.