Oregon State Women Defeat San Diego 64-51 on Senior Day
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It's not how you start, it's how you finish.
On senior day, in front of a raucous crowd at Gill Coliseum, Scott Rueck's Beavers finished. Not just the game - a come from behind win over a conference foe - but likely the last Gill Coliseum win ever for departing seniors Tiara Bolden, AJ Marotte, Kelsey Rees, Sela Heide, and Catarina Ferreira. They will surely remember their finish today for the rest of their lives.
The Beavers' win today did not come easy.
San Diego entered the day with just two meager conference victories, but they played far beyond their record. In the first period, the Toreros shot 53.3% from the field, and trailed the heavily-favored home team 19-17.
With only 9 seconds expired in the 2nd, San Diego senior
Kylie Horstmeyer buried a game-tying jump shot. Then Toreros' graduate transfer guard Ava Ranson iced a free throw, giving the road foes the lead with 7:17 till halftime.
San Diego's lead gradually expanded until the halftime buzzer, when the Beavers found themselves down 32-26. The second quarter was a low point for Scott Rueck's squad, shooting just 18.8%.
The third quarter changed everything for Oregon State. As a team, they shot 80% from the field. Behind the arc - a hurdle all season - they shot a perfect 100% on three shots. That perfection found it's way to the free throw line as well, where the Beavers went 4-for-4. A 7-0 run to start the second half, including a lead-snatching three-pointer from Kelsey Rees, set the tone. With less than a minute remaining in the quarter, an AJ Marotte jumper lifted the lead to double digits 49-39.
San Diego did not go away quietly. A quick bucket and a free throw clawed the Toreros within 4, 49-45 Beavers, at the eight minute mark. From there, Ally Schimel shined. She finished the day with perfect stats: 100% field goal shooting on three shots, including a three pointer, and a single free throw attempt swished through the netting. Thanks to her heroics, the Beavers lead returned to 10 with 7 minutes remaining.
From there, another Marotte jumper was matched by a Sela Heide layup, growing the margin to 14. With 3:04 left in the game, Gresham's own Kennedie Shuler sank a free-throw to make it 62-47 Oregon State. Teams traded baskets until the final buzzer, at which point Oregon State celebrated a 64-51 victory.
Fittingly on senior day, Tiara Bolden - a Eugene native who played high school basketball at Churchill HS - led the orange & black with 13 points.
The win keeps Oregon State in control of 4th place in the West Coast Conference standings. The Beavers are a full win ahead of 5th place San Francisco, and a half game behind 3rd place Washington State. Oregon State moves to 15-14 overall on the season, 11-7 in the WCC. San Diego falls to 6-21 overall and 2-16 in the WCC.
Oregon State resumes action Thursday February 27th at St Mary's. The game will stream on ESPN+, beginning at 6:30 PM PST.
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.