Oregon State women’s basketball stuns No. 3 Colorado
Still brimming with upset fervor from 24 hours earlier when the Oregon State’s men’s basketball team stunned No. 9 Arizona 83-80 on a buzzer-beater winner, Gill Coliseum worked its magic once again Friday night on an even grander scale.
A breakout 16-point, four-assist evening from Beaver freshman Donoyvn Hunter, along with key contributions from Talia von Oelhoffen and Reagan Beers, helped No. 25 Oregon State knock off No. 3 Colorado 68-62.
This jubilant, court-storming home crowd endured an anxious opening to the evening, however, as Frida Formann paid off a strong-willed rebound and excellent pass from Tameiya Sadler with a massive three to give the Buffs an early 18-9 lead and force an early Oregon State timeout.
OSU coach Scott Rueck poured the extent of motivational mojo into the ensuing huddle, as his Beavers appeared a team reborn out of the 60-second intermission. AJ Marotte, who finished with 10 points on an efficient 4-5 shooting clip, converted a three on the next possession, and the Beavers would pull themselves level at 28 as the game drew near halftime.
Held under 70 points for just the third time all season, Colorado actually received sizable contributions from its primary scorers, as Jaylyn Sherrod led all scorers with 19 points while Forman and star center Aaronette Vonleh chipped in with 13 and 12 respectively. Where the Oregon State defense, which ranks fourth in opponent field goal percentage nationally at just 34 percent, really shone Friday was limiting CU’s auxiliary options, as just one other Colorado player finished with multiple field goals.
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Meanwhile, it was a secondary Oregon State scorer that stepped up in Corvallis, as Hunter enjoyed a career afternoon to drag OSU out of its early slump. Hunter had cracked double figures only four times on the season, totaling just five points in her last four games, but proved her shooting slump was old news with the game’s first basket Friday. Particularly dominant attacking downhill, Hunter would contribute three layups to a 12-2 Oregon State run that would ultimately tie the game at 28.
And while a Hunter three out of the locker room proved to be her final made basket goal of the game, Oregon State stoked their lead with more stifling defense — the Buffs would combine for just 20 points in the second-and-third quarters — and a key scoring punch from von Oelhoffen. While the sophomore guard struggle shooting from the field, she managed timely trips to the free throw line, including a perfect 3-for-3 effort in the final seconds of the third quarter to give OSU a 46-40 lead.
An and-one finish from Sherrod would slash the Beaver lead to a single-possession one final time early in the fourth quarter, but von Oelhoffen responded emphatically, finding Marotte for a layup before drilling a three ball of her own. Clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch helped assure a stress-free finish to another magical evening in Corvallis.