Rueck earns 200th win as Oregon State upsets No. 2 Oregon 67-62

On a night where the entire women's college basketball world was intently tuned into ESPN2 to watch the Big Monday matchup between No. 12 Oregon State and No. 2 Oregon, it was the Beavers who had the last laugh in part-two of a thrilling weekend of Civil War basketball.

After Oregon got the best of the Beavers in Eugene on Friday night (77-68), Scott Rueck's Beavers turned the tide on their southern rivals Monday night, beating the Ducks 67-62 in front of just the second sellout crowd (9,301) in OSU WBB history to snap the Ducks' 17 game win streak.

"We were right there in Friday's game and we knew that we didn't play our best game, and so that was a huge motivating factor for us tonight," sophomore guard Aleah Goodman said. "We really worked hard these last two days and made adjustments that worked well for us."

In more ways than one, this win was extremely special for Rueck as he notched win number 200 during his nine seasons as the Beavers' head coach.

"What a way to get a milestone... It's going to be one that I never forget," Rueck said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to work at my alma mater and work with great people like this. Numbers are numbers and wins are wins, but when you get to coach a group that you believe in not only as competitors, but as people focusing outward, that's what makes it all worth it. To win in style against your rival, there's nothing better."

Defense was the order of the day for the Beavers as they were once again tasked with slowing down the nation's most dynamic offense as the Ducks averaged an NCAA best 89.1 points per game.

Rueck's teams have always prided themselves on being a defense first team, and tonight was no different. The Beavers kept that high-powered Oregon offense in check all game as the Ducks were held to their lowest point total of the season.

The Beavers made life tough on Ducks' star Sabrina Ionescu, making her work for everything from start-to-finish as she labored through a 9-for-25 shooting night en-route to 21 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Behind a bench-scoring barrage from Goodman, who scored 22 points off the bench and superb play from Destiny Slocum, who scored 20 points and hit crucial shots down the stretch, the Beavers were able to spring an upset and give themselves a much-needed confidence and momentum boost heading into the final weeks of the regular season.

Junior guard Mikayla Pivec did a little bit of everything for the Beavers, recording a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds while also adding five assists.

Further adding to the Beavers' defensive prowess on Monday night was the block party that OSU threw at Ionescu and Co. Jo Grymek lead the way for the Beavers with two blocks, while Goodman, Patricia Morris, and Maddie Washington each had one.

Oregon head coach Kelly Graves, who still has yet to beat the Beavers in Gill Coliseum during his tenure as head coach, gave nothing but credit to Rueck and the Beavers, noting that the defense that the Beavers deployed was superb.

"Maybe one day I'll get these guys here," Graves said. "They're one of the best defensive teams in the country for a reason. For whatever reason when we play these guys, we don't get side top, side action like we usually do."

As a team, the Beavers held the Ducks to 35 percent shooting from the field and 22 percent from three as it was once again one of those vintage Rueck defensive performances that seem to always show up when the lights are at their brightest.

"It feels really good to go 6-for-8 against the Ducks in my college career," senior guard Katie McWilliams said with a smile. "Tonight was amazing... the crowd we had, the performances we had... I was really proud of what we accomplished here tonight and it will be a game that I never forget."

As the Beavers now relish in the programs' first win over a No. 2 team since the 2014-15 season when the Beavers beat No. 2 Baylor en-route to the Final Four; Rueck believes that the best is yet to come.

"This team continues to mature in front of our eyes," Rueck said. "Our defense was on-point from the beginning and our will to win was elite. This group continues to amaze and they're just beginning to scratch the surface of what they can do."

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