Oregon State WBB: Beavers Cruise Past NC Central 89-52

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Five Beavers scored in double figures led by 27 points from Raegan Beers to knock off North Carolina Central University 89-52 on Tuesday.

Shalexxus Aaron tied a season-high with 17 points for Oregon State while Martha Pietsch scored 12 and Talia von Oelhoffen had 11. Adlee Blacklock came off the bench and totaled a career-best 10 points along with her usual hustle plays.

The Beavs, without rebounding leader Jelena Mitrovic for precautionary reasons, needed multiple players to step up on the glass and they did so. Both von Oelhoffen and Beers had double-figure rebounds to secure double-doubles and Pietsch, Blacklock and Aaron all grabbed at least five boards.

Early on, it was clear that there was a bit of rust to knock off following the holiday break, but the Beavers led throughout the first quarter in spite of some uncharacteristic miscues. Oregon State overcame five turnovers in the period thanks to a balanced attack with five scorers. Beers provided key buckets with five points and grabbed three rebounds in her first career start.

Only three Beavers scored in the second quarter but it was more than enough to build their lead out to eight points at halftime. Aaron led the team with seven points, including five in an early 8-2 run that put Oregon State up 25-17. Blacklock hit two key three-pointers late in the period to force a NCCU timeout while von Oelhoffen filled in her typical scoring along with five rebounds.

Beers powered the Beavs into a double-digit lead in the third quarter. She set the tone with two layups to begin the period and didn’t stop there. The freshman demanded the ball early and often in the post, either drawing fouls or making layups en route to a 16-point quarter. Oregon State outscored NC Central 27-19 in the period and led 62-46 at its end.

OSU closed the win with one of its most dominant quarters of the season, outpacing NC Central 27-6 in the final ten minutes. Five Beavs scored at least four points in the period, led by Pietsch’s six. Noelle Mannen assisted on four baskets as part of a night that saw the Beavs finish +43 when she was on the floor.

Up next, the Beavs play their Pac-12 home opener against USC on Friday, Dec. 30 at 6 p.m. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Los Angeles and available on Pac-12 Now.