Oregon State
USC
Oregon State Ousted From Pac-12 Tournament By USC, 64-57
March 07, 2013 | Women's Basketball
March 7, 2013
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Note: Scroll to bottom for game highlights.
SEATTLE, Wash. - The Beavers had at least four players in double figures for the fifth time this season and held their eighth opponent to under 30 percent shooting, but USC used Pac-12 Tournament records of 35 made free throws on 46 attempts to hold off the Oregon State women's basketball team, 64-57, in the opening game of the annual league tournament at KeyArena in Seattle on Thursday.
"Congratulations to USC for playing a great game and getting the win, but I'm proud of our team for battling just like they have all year," Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck said. "This team finished with its best basketball of the season, went toe-to-toe with everybody and had two opportunities to beat ranked teams. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough today, but I couldn't be prouder of our group."
Ali Gibson led OSU (10-21) with 13 points, Mollee Schwegler had 12 and Jamie Weisner and Alyssa Martin each added 10 apiece. The Beavers tied a season-high with 10 made 3-pointers, including a career-high tying four from Schwegler.
USC (11-19) took its largest lead, 32-23, with 15:00 to go in the game before Oregon State reeled off an 11-0 run to stake itself to its second edge on the afternoon.
Schwegler started the spurt with a 3-pointer and then got her hands on the defensive rebound to secure the possession which set up a Martin jumper. The Rainier product then swiped the ball from USC's Ariya Crook and promptly came down the court to drop another deep bomb through the net. Thirty seconds later, Weisner capped the run with a triple of her own to give the Beavers a 34-32 lead with 13:06 to play.
"In the first half we weren't very fluid on offense," Schwegler said. "[But] in the second half we were able to clean that up and it made for better looks. We came out more confident and willed the ball into the hoop. We also played better defense and got more stops, which made it easier for our shots to fall."
The Trojans responded with a 6-0 run to go up 38-34, but a Jamie Weisner jumper with 8:51 remaining matched OSU's largest lead, 41-39.
That would be the Beavers final advantage, however, despite USC only converting two field goals the rest of the way. The Trojans closed the game over the final nearly nine minutes by going 21-for-24 from the free throw line to seal the outcome.
Three Oregon State players fouled out - Weisner, Patricia Bright and ShaKiana Edwards-Teasley - after the team had seven players do so in the season's previous 30 games.
USC's 46 total attempts from the line bested the previous tournament record of 35 and its 35 makes were two more than had ever occurred in the annual gathering of the league's women's basketball teams. The previous high marks in those categories both occurred in the 2002 iteration of the event.
The Beavers had one first-half lead, 15-14, at the 4:39 mark when Alyssa Martin made a 3-pointer on an assist from Schwegler. But the Trojans ended the period on a 9-3 run to take a 23-18 advantage into the locker room.
Oregon State held USC to just 29.2 percent shooting (14-for-48), the fifth Pac-12 opponent it has kept below 30 percent this season and eighth team overall, while shooting 36.4 percent (20-for-55), including a 10-for-23 (43.5%) effort from behind the arc. The Beavers closed the season by making 30 of their last 76 3-point baskets (39.4%).
The loss drops OSU's all-time record in the Pac-12 Tournament to 5-12 while USC moves to 10-11. The Trojans will face second-seeded California in the quarterfinal round tomorrow at noon.
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