Oregon State WBB: Beavers Upset No. 10 UCLA

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State led for all but 44 seconds of Sunday’s upset win over No. 10 UCLA, stymieing every attempt at a comeback in the 77-72 triumph in front of a raucous crowd at Gill Coliseum.

The Beavers were paced by yet another double-double from Raegan Beers, her third of the week. The freshman was one of four Beavs in double figures with 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

Bendu Yeaney was another of the Oregon State players in double figures, providing key baskets throughout the game to keep the OSU offense humming. Her first bucket - a putback three-point play that put OSU up 8-0 – gave the Portland-native her 1,000th career point.

“Our team knew we needed this win,” Yeaney said. “We came out strong and we just fought, fought, fought. We’re a great team. We just needed to click and tonight we clicked.”

The senior had a knack for coming up with a basket to end UCLA runs. When the Bruins - who trailed 38-27 at half - pulled within two at 40-38 midway through the third quarter, Yeaney delivered an acrobatic and-one to put the Beavs back up five. When UCLA closed within a pair at 60-58 again in the fourth it was Yeaney who drove to the basket for the hoop and the harm to extend the lead back out to four.

“If you were here or watching on TV you could see Bendu’s leadership,” Beers said. “She was the one rallying us and getting us places where we needed to be. When we had tough stretches she would look at all of us, pick up our chins and tell us keep going.”

Yeaney also set the table for her teammates with eight assists. In the first half, She and Talia von Oelhoffen each delivered two assists to Shalexxus Aaron for corner threes. Aaron nailed four such triples in the first half on the way 14 points, her third straight game in double figures.

Late in the game, Yeaney and co. fed Beers. The freshman post delivered a double-double in the second half alone with 16 points and 10 rebounds. She also contributed four key points off offensive rebounds in the final two minutes, getting a putback with 1:56 left to put OSU up 67-64 before grabbing an offensive board and making two free throws with 59 seconds remaining.

Von Oelhoffen made the lead stand up late with a perfect 10-for-10 day at the free-throw line. The sophomore also made key defensive plays with two blocks and three steals to go with her 15 points. Oregon State sealed the win on a late 8-0 run with all eight points coming from Beers and von Oelhoffen.

Led by Aaron’s 4-for-6 day, OSU finished 5-for-11 (45%) from three. The Beavs made 24-of-27 free throws with perfect days at the stripe for von Oelhoffen and Beers.

Oregon State will look to carry its momentum from the top-10 win down to Arizona where it faces the 18th-ranked Wildcats on Friday. The game tips at 5 p.m. PT and will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.

OSU Athletics

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