3/2/2023 basketball Edit

Oregon State WBB: Beavers Upset USC In Pac-12 Tournament

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

Publisher

PROMO: Join BeaversEdge.com and get 30 DAYS FREE!

LAS VEGAS – The moment was not too big for Oregon State's freshmen.

Playing in their first Pac-12 Tournament with their season on the line, Adlee Blacklock and Raegan Beers not only led OSU in scoring but made key plays down the stretch to keep the season alive in a 56-48 upset win over sixth-seeded USC.

The duo fed off the defensive energy from Bendu Yeaney, who finished with a block and two steals while also fending off the USC press on the offensive end.

"You could just see the belief that this team has. They care about each other. They have never really hung their heads for more than a few hours after our losses. We've practiced well all year. That character has carried into the end of this third season of this year, non-conference, regular season, and then postseason," head coach Scott Rueck said.

The defensive battle saw both teams force plenty of turnovers while holding the opponent under 35 percent shooting from the floor. AJ Marotte played a sterling game defensively, playing a key role in holding the Trojans to 29 percent shooting from the floor.

"I thought this game, it felt like [AJ's] best defensive game she's ever played. That's how I felt. I felt like she was so disruptive," Rueck said. "She competed on the boards at another level. She fought for rebounds."

Blacklock provided the early offense for Oregon State, scoring all five points at the first media timeout. The freshman dropped in the Beavs' first two on a cut before draining an open corner three to make it 5-4 in favor of OSU with 6:55 left. Marotte chimed in for four points later in the period and the Beavs trailed 12-11 after one.

The second quarter was a tale of two runs. Both teams scored 10 points, with an early 8-3 burst providing a small margin in favor of USC. The Beavs countered with a 6-0 spurt, all coming from Jelena Mitrovic and Beers to pull within one at 22-21 at the break.

After two early baskets from the Trojans, the Beavers took their first lead since early in the game at 28-26. What became a 9-0 run opened with a three-pointer from Blacklock, followed by six points from Mitrovic and Beers.

USC countered late in the third. The Women of Troy ended the period on a 9-2 run with the lone Beaver basket coming on a Mitrovic layup. USC led 37-34 at the quarter's conclusion.

The Trojans' run continued into the fourth quarter, taking a 43-37 lead with 7:11 left in the game. From there, it was all Beavs. Oregon State outscored USC 21-5 over the game's final seven minutes. OSU made 15-of-16 free throws in the period, led by 5-of-6 effort from Beers and a 4-for-4 quarter for Blacklock.

The Beavers move on to the Pac-12 Quarterfinals to face Colorado on Thursday night at 8:30 p.m.

OSU Athletics