Oregon State
North Carolina
No. 14 Beavers Topple No. 6 Tar Heels
December 17, 2014 | Women's Basketball
CHAPEL HILL N.C. – The No. 14/16 Oregon State women's basketball never trailed in a 70-55 win over No. 6/6 North Carolina Tuesday evening in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The sixth-ranked Tar Heels (9-1) are the highest-ranked team the Beavers have ever beaten on the road, and with the victory, Oregon State moves to 8-0 on the season, the best start in school history. All eight wins have come by double figures.
Oregon State led by as many as 20, and the Tar Heels never got within single digits in the second half.
“I thought our team really locked them up defensively,” said head coach Scott Rueck. “We kept them out of transition for most of the game. I thought our shot selection was good and I thought we executed our game plan at a high level. I'm really proud of our team today.”
The Beavers shot 43.9 percent (25-for-57) in the game, compared to 27.6 percent (21-for-76) for the Tar Heels.
Junior Ruth Hamblin led the Beavers with 17 points, 10 rebound and five blocks. The Six-foot-6 Canadian now sits just six blocks short of the Oregon State career record. Hamblin shot 7-for-9 from the floor in the contest.
Junior Jamie Weisner scored 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting, while sophomore Sydney Wiese tallied 13 points and eight assists. Junior Deven Hunter pulled down 16 rebounds, a career-high and the most by a Beaver this season.
So proud of this resilient group! A great TEAM win tonight against a very talented North Carolina team. #roadwarriors #GoBeavs
— Scott Rueck (@CoachRueck) December 17, 2014
The teams traded baskets early on, but the Beaver forced five turnovers in a 3 minute, 30 second span to take the lead 18-11 midway through the opening frame. OSU got the lead to double figures at 30-20, and led by as many at 13 in the half before taking a 37-25 advantage into the break.
Weisner and Hamblin tallied 10 points apiece in the opening frame, as the Beavers shot 47.1 percent (16-for-34), compared to 31.2 percent (10-for-32) for the Tar Heels.
The Beavers continued to hold the advantage through the early part of the second half, stretching the lead to 20 nine minutes into the frame. North Carolina was never able to get the score to single-digits from there, as the Beavers took the 15-point victory.
The Beavers are back in action Friday, when they face Southern Illinois in New Orleans.
Game Notes:
- No. 6 North Carolina is the highest-ranked team the Beavers have ever beaten on the road.
- The Tar Heels are the highest ranked team OSU has beaten since it topped No. 3 Stanford in 1992
- The 8-0 start is the best in Oregon State history
- All eight of OSU's wins have come by double figures
- Ruth Hamblin recorded her sixth double-double of the season
- Hamblin now sits six blocks short of the OSU career record
- Deven Hunter set a career high with 16 rebounds, the most by a Beaver this season.
