Oregon State
Idaho
Beavers School Vandals, 75-53
December 04, 2014 | Women's Basketball
The No. 17/18 Oregon State women's basketball team matched its second-best start in school history on Thursday by improving to 6-0 with a 75-53 victory over Idaho at Gill Coliseum.
A Beavers Beyond the Classroom gathering of 7,537, the third-largest crowd in school history, saw the Beavers (6-0) win their sixth consecutive game by 10 or more points, and their 13th consecutive home game over the past two seasons.
"Playing in front of this crowd was incredible," said sophomore guard Sydney Wiese. "I'm supposed to call out plays and I had to rely on my hand signals, because they couldn't hear me. It was loud in there. The fans brought so much adrenaline to us and I could always feel their energy. They were always cheering no matter what the scoreboard said."
Wiese led four Beavers in double figures with 16 points, five assists and four rebounds. Junior center Ruth Hamblin added 14 points and 12 rebounds, junior guard Jamie Weisner had 15 points and nine rebounds and junior forward Deven Hunter had 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
It was the fourth double-double of the season and the 12th of her career for Hamblin. She also blocked six shots, raising her career total to 192, just 16 short of Brina Chaney's (2001-04) career record of 208.
The Beavers never trailed in the first game between the Northwest rivals since the 1999-2000 season, and evened the all-time series at 2-2.
Wiese hit three 3-point shots within the first six minutes and the Beavers jumped out to a quick 25-12 lead after a 3-pointer by junior forward Samantha Siegner with 11:10 remaining.
The Vandals (3-3) hung tough and trimmed the halftime deficit to 35-25 at halftime. But the Beavers opened the second half with a 13-7 run and surged ahead 48-32 on a 3-pointer by Wiese with 15:54 to play. OSU built its first 20-point lead (60-39) with 10:15 to play and it enjoyed a 20-point lead the rest of the way.
"In the second half I think we did a good job spreading the defense out and getting to the rim," said head coach Scott Rueck. "That's what we talked about at halftime: how to get layups against this team. I thought we were patient, and a little bit more focused on what we wanted offensively. The team did a great job executing.”
OSU's 13th consecutive home win tied the school record, set in the 1995-96 season. It is also the sixth time the Beavers have started 6-0; the school record for the most consecutive wins to start a season is seven, last accomplished in 1994-95.
The Beavers go for a school-record 14th consecutive home win at 2 p.m. Saturday when they host Sacramento State in a Dam Hunger game. Fans will be admitted free of charge with the donation of two non-perishable food items, or an unwrapped toy.
Game Notes:
- Oregon State moves to 6-0 for the fifth time in school history, and the first time since the 2000-01 season
- The win is the Beavers' 13th-straight at home, tying the school record set in 1996.
- The 7,537 fans in attendance was the third-largest crowd in school history and the biggest OSU crowd since 1996.
- All six of the Beavers' wins have come by double-figures
- Ruth Hamblin tallied her second-straight double-double, and the 23rd of her career
