Oregon State
California
Beavers Edge Cal, 53-50
January 16, 2000 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 15, 2000
BERKELEY, Calif. - California fought a courageous comeback in the second half Saturday night against visiting Oregon State but failed to secure the victory, dropping a 53-50 decision to the Beavers in the final minute of play at Haas Pavilion. Kenya Corley led the Bears with 10 points.
A 13-4 run over the final 6:52 minutes of play proved the clincher for Oregon State. Cherrith Wiersma nailed two free throws with 17 seconds left on the clock and Oregon State (5-10 overall, 1-2 in the Pac-10) down by two to move the Beavers into a one point lead, 51-50, their first in over 10 minutes of play in the half. Syesha Thomas hit two more free throws with four seconds remaining to round out the 53-50 victory.
"We played with a lot more intensity tonight," said California head coach Marianne Stanley. "We played with a lot of spirit. Things just didn't work out."
Oregon State started the game out strong, building up an 11 point lead in the first 9:29 minutes before heading into the locker room with a slim 25-21 advantage.
Genevieve Swedor did her best to pull California (5-9 overall, 0-4 in the Pac-10) back into the thick of things through the second half, chipping in eight points over the final 17 minutes before finishing with nine points over 19 minutes off the bench. Swedor also added a career-high five rebounds on the night.
"I thought when we got to Pac-10's it would be time for Genevieve to break through," said Stanley. "She gave us a good lift off the bench tonight."
Sissel Pierce led the Beavers with 13 points while Chassie Wiersma added 10. Reda Petraitis pulled down 11 boards.
With 0:53 seconds up on the clock and the Bears up one, 50-49, Courtney Johnson had an opportunity to win the game for California when she was fouled by Oregon State's Felicia Ragland and sent to the charity stripe for two shots. Johnson was unable to convert on either attempt, forcing the Bears to foul Wiersma, who would hit the game winner for the Beavers.
California travels to cross-bay rival Stanford (10-4 overall, 3-1 in the Pac-10) Friday, January 21st, for its next Pac-10 contest. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. and can be viewed on Bay TV.
