Oregon State Women's Basketball: What to Expect from the Santa Clara Broncos
In this story:
The West Coast Conference has proven to be one of the competitive in the country, with 5 teams tied at the top of the standings with 5-2 records, and the Beavers right behind the pack with a 4-2 record. A set of marquee match ups this weekend should help disambiguate the standings, including a rematch between Oregon State and Portland, but before that, the Beavers have to hit the road to take on the Santa Clara Broncos.
RELATED:
Oregon State Women's Basketball: What to Expect From the San Francisco Dons
Santa Clara, currently 9-9 overall and 3-5 in the WCC, is a dangerous team, despite lagging behind the peloton that is the top of the conference. Two weeks ago they pulled off a 68-62 upset win over Washington State. This isn't a team the Beavers can look past.
RELATED:
Oregon State Women's Basketball: Beavers Fall to Washington State 66-52
The Broncos are led by senior forward Olivia Pollerd. Pollerd was already a star for the Broncos last season, when she made the All-WCC First Team, That year she finished in the top 10 nationwide in total three point shots made. She hasn't reached those heights this season, but she's still one of the top scorers in the conference, behind only Gonzaga's Yvonne Ejim.
RELATED:
Oregon State Women's Basketball: Beavers Beat San Francisco 64-57 for Big Conference Win
Pollerd has pulled off several big games this season, including a 33 point game in the Broncos win over Fresno State, but she's not unstoppable. In Santa Clara's loss to Saint Mary's Pollerd only posted 10 points. Of course, she also had 10 points in the Broncos win over WSU, so stopping her is only the start of beating Santa Clara.
RELATED:
Oregon State Women's Basketball: Beavers Pick Up First WCC Win With 71-67 Victory Over Gonzaga
If the Beavers can harass Pollerd in the perimeter and force her to move the ball, the Broncos will likely go to Malia Latu or Maddie Naro as their next options. Both players have carried Santa Clara in games where Pollerd was limited, though neither is the pure scoring threat Pollerd presents. If the Beavers can force the Broncos to move the ball into the interior, the match ups their should favor Oregon State.
A large part of that is going to be controlling the pace of the game, slowing it down and not letting Santa Clara get settled. If Pollerd or one of the SC guards gets a fast break it's not going to go well for the Beavers. This should be an important game for AJ Marotte and Catarina Ferreira. They need to attack the Santa Clara guards aggressively, and force them to move the ball and make mistakes
Tip off tonight is set for 6 PM PT. The game will be aired on ESPN+.
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.