Oregon State
Southern Illinois
Beavers Stifle Salukis
December 20, 2014 | Women's Basketball
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The No. 14/16 Oregon State women's basketball team continued to build on the best start in school history Friday evening, as the Beavers defeated Southern Illinois 71-55 in the first game of the New Orleans Shootout.
Oregon State shot 57.7 percent in the second half, as it improved to 9-0 on the year. All of OSU's wins have come by double-digits.
“This was another team win for us,” said head coach Scott Rueck. “We got some big contributions from Gabby (Hanson) and Marie (Gulich) off the bench, and that helped us overcome a tough SIU team. Now we have to turn our focus to Nevada with a quick turnaround.”
Junior Ruth Hamblin scored 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting, as she tallied double-figures for the eighth time this season. She also finished with four rebounds and two blocks, as she moved within four blocks of the Oregon State career record.
Sophomore Sydney Wiese scored 12 points and led all players with six assists. Freshman Marie Gülich shot 5-for-6 from the field on her way to 11 points off the bench. She also added five boards and a block. Sophomore Gabriella Hanson also came off the bench to score double figures, as she tallied 10 points and three steals.
As a team, the Beavers out-shot Southern Illinois (6-3) 48.1 percent to 37.7 percent. Oregon State forced 18 turnovers in the contest, while giving the ball away just nine times.
The teams went back and forth through the early part of the game, as the first half saw five lead changes. The Beavers entered the break trailing for the first time this season, as the Salukis held a 30-28 lead at the intermission.
Wiese tallied eight points in the opening frame, while Hamblin recorded seven.
The Beavers took control in the second half, as Oregon State used a 13-0 run to stretch to take the lead 50-38 with 10 minutes remaining. The Beavers never looked back from there, as they took the win by 16 points.
The Beavers are back in action tomorrow when they close out the New Orleans Shootout by taking on Nevada at 3:30 p.m. PT.
