After pulling out a 76-70 victory against fifth-seeded Gonzaga, the Oregon State women's basketball team is headed back to the Sweet Sixteen for a fourth-straight season. A postseason rematch with top-seeded Louisville awaits the Beavers in Albany, N.Y., but the Beavers showed everyone on Monday night that they're going to be a tough team to beat in the postseason.
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“Just another fantastic day in Gill Coliseum.”
That's how Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck described the energy brought by the 5,478 OSU fans in attendance to witness the Beavers return to the Sweet Sixteen.
"We have not experienced anything like this...the way that our fans cheered tonight was special," Rueck said. "This was a fan-generated atmosphere and it's really special."
The Beavers are still dancing in March thanks to an incredibly tough and gritty 76-70 win over a talented Gonzaga team. It wasn't easy for the Beavers, who had to fight and claw throughout the contest to finally put away the Zags, but even that didn't come until the closing seconds of the contest.
"I've never really understood home-court advantage, but there's something about Gill that is so much different than anything else," point guard Destiny Slocum said. "It's almost like having another coach out there, because when Beaver Nation is up, we go. They're awesome."
After a cold-shooting first half that saw the Beavers shoot 33 percent from the field, OSU flipped the script in the second half and were able to get good looks to fall as they upped their shooting to nearly 50 percent in the third and fourth quarters.
Trailing 57-55 with 5:44 left in the fourth quarter, the Beavers went to Maddie Washington in the post two-straight times and both times, Washington delivered.
"She was the first person that I talked to and hugged at mid-court," Rueck said. "Her role has shifted as the season has gone on, but here we are in the postseason, do or die, and it was time for her role to be big. It's a big tribute to her for being ready to go and be playing her best basketball of the season when we needed it most."
Washington scored the next four points for the Beavers to give them a 59-57 lead that the Beavers wouldn't give back. Gonzaga tied the game at 59 moments later, but the Beavers put the clamps down on the Zags, outscoring them 17-11 the rest of the way to punch their ticket to the Sweet Sixteen.
“An opportunity to battle on to the Sweet 16 for a fourth-straight year is incredible,” Rueck said. “This team just continued to fight. They are absolute warriors. I am so happy for our team – they deserved the opportunity to win today and to play in front of another incredible crowd. It was another great basketball game, and I’m really happy our team found a way to win.”
Mikayla Pivec was masterful from start to finish. Whether it was diving on the floor for loose balls, outmuscling Gonzaga's posts for rebounds, dishing the rock, or scoring her own, Pivec's imprint was all over this contest.
"We came in with a game plan that we had to make some slight adjustments to defensively, but I feel that our motion offense flowed well and we were taking good shots in the flow of the offense."
"She is our stabilizer," Rueck said of Pivec. "I've only known Mik since her sophomore year in high school, but I'm sure she was diving on every loose ball since she was three years old. She's as good as it gets, and is as impactful as any player there is anywhere."
After leading the Beavers to victory in overtime against Boise State on Saturday, Pivec picked up right where she left off against the Zags, tallying 19 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists (all team highs) to help push the Beavers to the Sweet Sixteen. Pivec's double-double was her fourth-straight.
Taya Corosdale played the role of Iron Man, playing all 40 minutes of the contest en-route to 12 points and seven rebounds.
"I feel really great," Corosdale said with a smile after playing every minute. "Coming into this game, we knew we needed to get stops and scores and keep punching at them rather than taking hits."
Katie McWilliams, who's now reached the Sweet Sixteen or better in each of her four years in a Beaver uniform, said her last game in Gill Coliseum was extremely special because of the will and determination the Beavers showed in front of a spectacular home crowd.
"It was as loud as I've ever heard it in here," McWilliams said. "We want to win as bad as anybody. I couldn't ask for anything better. I'm so proud of this team and I'm blessed for the four years I've been able to have here."
Aleah Goodman added 12 points and three assists, while Washington tallied 12 on 6-for-9 shooting.
Slocum finished with 12 points, with 10 coming in the second half.
The tight-win over Gonzaga exemplified the type of season and the type of games that the Beavers have been a part of this year. Whether it was down to the wire games against Arizona State, Oregon, Arizona, or even Washington in the Pac-12 Tournament, the Beavers are now beyond ready for any tight game they're put in.
"Our entire last month has been games exactly like this," Rueck said. "We are so battle tested that I don't even have to practice late-game situations because every game gives us those moments. I've never had a stretch like this in my career where we've been in this many close games and found ways to win."
Up next for the Beavers is a rematch with the team that ended their season a year ago in the Elite Eight in Louisville. The Cardinals are one of the four number one seeds this season and will pose immense challenges for the Beavers as they head for Albany N.Y.
However, after getting spanked 76-43 by Louisville last season, there will be plenty of motivation from the Beavers to come out with one goal in mind.
"I know we've all got a chip on shoulder," Corosdale said. "We're ready to prepare for them."
Added Pivec: "We definitely remember last year... We got smacked. We're super excited for the challenge."
