Oregon State WBB: Beavers complete mountain sweep

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A third-quarter explosion lifted the No. 10 Oregon State women’s basketball team to a 77-65 win over Utah Saturday afternoon in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“Utah is a team that can score quickly, and when they are hitting their threes they are very dangerous,” said Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck. “I thought we were a step slow to start the game. I thought we adapted really well defensively, and that made the difference. Our team competed at a different level in the second half, and I think that sparked our offense.”

After going to halftime tied at 32, the Beavers (18-4, 6-4 Pac-12) out-scored Utah (10-11, 3-7) 30-11 in the third to take control of the game. The quarter is the highest-scoring frame for the Beavers so far this season.

Senior Mikayla Pivec filled the stat-sheet with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. The double-double is the 23rd of Pivec’s career and her 10th of the season.

Kat Tudor marked a season-high with 16 points, while Aleah Goodman scored 11 points to finish in double-figures for the third time in her last four games. Destiny Slocum put up nine points and Taylor Jones tallied eight.

Oregon State shot 46.7 percent in the game, compared to 32.3 percent for Utah. The Beavers dominated the points in the paint 34-6.

The teams went back and forth early on, with Utah heading to the first media break up 14-9. The Utes led 24-16 after a quarter of play.

The Beavers battled back to level the score with just under three minutes to go before the break. The sides headed to the locker room tied up at 32.

Oregon State exploded out of the intermission, scoring the first eight points of the third quarter on its way to a 45-41 edge at the media timeout. The Beavers followed that up by scoring 12 unanswered points to extend the lead to double-figures late in the third.

OSU went in front by as many as 26 in the fourth, on its way to the 12-point win.

The Beavers will return home Friday for a matchup with Arizona State. That game will tip at 8 p.m.

Oregon State Athletics