Oregon State Women’s Basketball didn’t get the result they were looking for in their season opener, falling to the California Baptist Lancers 79-77. The Beavers struggled to shoot consistently at several points during the game and struggled with turnovers, before a costly mistake with one second left on the clock essentially handed the Lancers the win.
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Lauren Olsen got the first points of the night for the Lancers with a jumper, but Jenna Villa answered right back to tie the game. Five straight points from Kennedie Shuler gave the Beavers a five point lead, but a three from Spela Brecelj got the Lancers back within a score. Oregon State’s shooting hit a rough patch, but layups from Lara Alonso and Taylor Young helped keep the team in front.
Back to back threes from Lauren Olsen and McKinley Willardson gave the Lancers the lead late in the quarter, but a a three from Katelyn Field broke the Beavers long drought from beyond the arc and put the Beavers back in front. At the end of the first Oregon State held a three point, 21-18 lead.
Shooting was slow for both teams early in the second quarter, with a Kennedie Shuler the only points by either side in the first few minutes. Taylor Young gave the Beavers a pair of points, but Oregon State gave the Lancers plenty of chances to even things up. Three state offensive rebounds resulted in a Spela Brecelj three.
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A McKinley Willardson three tied the game for the Lancers, and then a Lauren Olsen layup on a fast break gave Cal Baptist the lead. Oregon State’s shooting woes reared their head as the quarter ended, with the Lancers holding a four point, 31-27 lead as the Beavers spent the final four minutes of the half scoreless.
Chloe Briggs opened the second half with a jumper for the Lancers, before Evelini Smith finally broke Oregon State’s scoreless stretch with a layup. Cal Baptist began to take control early in the third, with Smith seemingly the only Beaver able to hit a basket. Another Brecelj three got the Lancer lead as high as 12 before Oregon State started to muster a response.
Freshman Taylor Young was key in getting the Beavers back in the game, scoring 14 points in the quarter. 11 points from Jenna Villa, who was lights out at the free throw line, helped Oregon State get close, entering the third quarter only down four, 63-59.
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A Kennedie Shuler jumper got the Beavers within two. A defensive struggle ensued over the next few minutes, with the Beavers never getting quite close enough to take the lead back, until a driving layup from Jenna Villa with five and a half minutes to go put Oregon State back in front.
A three from Ashley Uusitalo added to the Beaver lead, but Cal Baptist was never far behind. A three from Sofia Alonso tied the game with 2:13 left in the game. A Kennedie Shuler free throw gave the Beavs a one point lead, but a McKinley Willardson layup put the Lancers back in front with 1:41 to go.
Time was not on Oregon State’s side, and with 25 seconds left they were forced to foul Chloe Briggs. Briggs only hit one of her free throws, giving the Beavers a chance to tie or take the lead. Kennedie Shuler found Lara Alonso under the basket for a game tying layup, and a free throw gave Oregon State a one point lead with 14 seconds to go.
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After a timeout to advance the ball, Lauren Olsen missed a jumper, but grabbed her own rebound and put it back up for a go ahead layup. The Beavers had one second left on the clock to make something happen, but a five second violation on the inbound after the timeout essentially ended the game. The Beavers fouled one last time to get another possession, but that just gave the Lancers one last point, for a 79-77 Cal Baptist win.
Taylor Young led the Beavers in scoring, with 22 points, two rebounds and two assists. Only two games into her Oregon State career and Young already looks like a star, despite tonight’s result. Jenna Villa also broke the 20 point mark, with 21 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Kennedie Shuler added 10 points, seven assists and five rebounds, while Lara Alonso finished with seven points, eleven rebounds and two assists.
Oregon State will look to get their first win of the season on Sunday, November 8th, when Eastern Washington comes to Gill Coliseum. Tip off is set for 2 PM PT.
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