Oregon State Women Advance to WCC Tournament Finals With 73-67 Win Over LMU

Oregon State came out just short in their two regular season games against Loyola Marymount, but Monday afternoon in the West Coast Conference Tournament, the Beavers finally took down the top seeded Lions, 73-67, to advance to the tournament final.

Oregon State jumped out to an early lead, with Lara Alonso, Ally Schimel and Kennedie Shuler putting the Beavers up seven. LMU responded with a seven-point run of their own, with Paula Piza tying the game for the Lions after a Beaver turnover. Jenna Villa put the Beavers back in front with a pair of free throws, but a jumper from Ivana Krajina tied the game once again, 13-13, as the first quarter ended.

A Jess Lawson jumper gave LMU their first lead of the game at the start of the second quarter. Ally Schimel gave the Beavers the lead back with a three. The Beavers managed to build a small lead with another Schimel three and a Keira Lindemans layup, but couldn't put the Lions away, as Jess Lawson and Maya Hernandez once again whittled away at the Oregon State lead. The Beavers held a seven-point lead with less than a minute left in the half, but back-to-back LMU threes, from Allison Clarke and Jess Lawson cut that down to one, 32-31.

An Andjela Matic hookshot put LMU back in front at the start of the second half, but buckets from Tiara Bolden and Lizzy Williamson gave the lead back to the Beavers in short order. The Beavers got their lead up to eight after an Ally Schimel three and a Tiara Bolden layup, but Loyola Marymount once again went on a run, with a Jess Lawson layup cutting the Beaver lead down to two, 45-43, at the end of the third quarter.

Jenna Villa and Maya Hernandez traded threes at the start of the fourth quarter, setting the tone for the battle that the final stretch of the game would be. The Beavers would hold onto a slim lead for most of the quarter, but could never pull away from the Lions. After a pair of free throws from Kennedie Shuler, Oregon State held onto a nine point lead with two minutes left in the game, but their defense struggled to slow down LMU.

A layup with an and one from Paula Reus Piza cut the Beaver lead down to six. After a Shuler free throw, a jump shot from Maya Hernandez got the Beaver lead down to five. With the lead slipping away, the Beavers finally got a break when an Andjela Matic three bounced off the rim. The Beavers built their lead back up to nine with Shuler and Jenna Villa free throws, with 30 seconds left in the game.

The team did give the Lions and Jess Lawson plenty of chances. Lizzy Williamson fouled Lawson on a three point attempt and she made her shots, cutting the lead to six. Kennedie Shuler would later foul Lawson on a successful layup, giving the Lions a free point. That got the lead down to four, but that was as close as things would get. LMU sent Jenna Villa to the line a few times, and Villa did not miss. The Beavers hung on for the 73-67 win.

Jenna Villa led the Beavers scorers with 22 points, five rebounds and three assists, but this was really the Ally Schimel show. Schimel gave the Beavers an aggressive threat from the three point line, going five for six from beyond the arc and finishing the game with 21 points, four rebounds and an assist. Tiara Bolden also hit double digits, with 11 points and five rebounds.

We won't know who the Beavers face in the tournament finals until later Monday night, when two seed Gonzaga takes on three seed Santa Clara. Whoever wins, they'll face Oregon State tomorrow with an NCAA Tournament berth on the line.