Thursday, February 19
Corvallis, Ore.
6 PM
Oregon State
19-9,11-4WCC
vs
Portland
15-12,9-6WCC
1
2
3
4
F
Portland
14
13
11
16
54
Oregon St.
16
10
24
14
64
Photo by: Karl Maasdam/Oregon State Athletics
Bolden Fuels Third Quarter Eruption in Crucial Home Win
February 19, 2026 | Women's Basketball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State erupted for 24 third-quarter points, including a 17-0 run, as the Beavers pulled away from Portland for a 64-54 victory Thursday night at Gill Coliseum.
The win established a two-game lead over the Pilots for a top-four seed in the conference tournament with three games to play. OSU is tied with Santa Clara at 11-4 and a game behind co-leaders Gonzaga and LMU.
Tiara Bolden poured in a career-high 29 points to lead Oregon State, making 11-of-20 from the floor. Bolden scored 14 points as the driving force in the dominant third quarter that erased a small halftime deficit and put the game firmly in Oregon State's control.
"That was a great win. Portland is a really good team. We knew they would have people rise and step up. Give them a lot of credit for battling tonight," head coach Scott Rueck said. "I thought our defense was outstanding tonight. We played good enough on that end to weather poor shooting in the first half, and then we had an incredible third quarter. Jenna hit that big three early in the quarter and then Tiara took the game over. What a special stretch that was for all of us to watch."
The Beavers trailed 27-26 at the break before taking over with a decisive 17-0 run to open the second half. Oregon State's defense smothered the Pilots for 5:09 as the Beavs pushed the lead to 16 points — the game's largest — at the 5:17 mark of the third quarter.
Portland pulled itself back into the game with a 12-4 run early in the fourth quarter that trimmed OSU's lead to 54-49. The Beavers responded by getting to the paint down the stretch. Néné Sow scored seven points in the game with five coming in the game's final 3:51 to ensure the Beavs secured the win.
"Néné only played six and a half or seven minutes, but those were huge minutes down the stretch. She really helped us close it out with stops, rebounds, a couple big buckets, and a free throw," Rueck said
The Beavers moved the ball efficiently, dishing out 15 assists on 26 made field goals. Kennedie Shuler had six assists, pushing her season total to 151 and moving her past Destiny Slocum (150 in 2019-20) into fifth place on Oregon State's single-season assists list by a junior.
Shuler also played a key role in the Beavs taking care of the ball. OSU is one of just 10 teams in the last five seasons (160 total games) to have 10-or-fewer turnovers against the Portland press.
The Beavs refused to allow extra possessions in any way, giving up six offensive rebounds and none in the first half. Lara Alonso-Basurto anchored the glass with 12 rebounds – tying her career-high - while Jenna Villa contributed eight rebounds and six assists.
Oregon State returns to action on Saturday. The Beavers host longtime conference foe Washington State at 1 p.m. with every game crucial for Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship seeding.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
The win established a two-game lead over the Pilots for a top-four seed in the conference tournament with three games to play. OSU is tied with Santa Clara at 11-4 and a game behind co-leaders Gonzaga and LMU.
Tiara Bolden poured in a career-high 29 points to lead Oregon State, making 11-of-20 from the floor. Bolden scored 14 points as the driving force in the dominant third quarter that erased a small halftime deficit and put the game firmly in Oregon State's control.
"That was a great win. Portland is a really good team. We knew they would have people rise and step up. Give them a lot of credit for battling tonight," head coach Scott Rueck said. "I thought our defense was outstanding tonight. We played good enough on that end to weather poor shooting in the first half, and then we had an incredible third quarter. Jenna hit that big three early in the quarter and then Tiara took the game over. What a special stretch that was for all of us to watch."
The Beavers trailed 27-26 at the break before taking over with a decisive 17-0 run to open the second half. Oregon State's defense smothered the Pilots for 5:09 as the Beavs pushed the lead to 16 points — the game's largest — at the 5:17 mark of the third quarter.
Portland pulled itself back into the game with a 12-4 run early in the fourth quarter that trimmed OSU's lead to 54-49. The Beavers responded by getting to the paint down the stretch. Néné Sow scored seven points in the game with five coming in the game's final 3:51 to ensure the Beavs secured the win.
"Néné only played six and a half or seven minutes, but those were huge minutes down the stretch. She really helped us close it out with stops, rebounds, a couple big buckets, and a free throw," Rueck said
The Beavers moved the ball efficiently, dishing out 15 assists on 26 made field goals. Kennedie Shuler had six assists, pushing her season total to 151 and moving her past Destiny Slocum (150 in 2019-20) into fifth place on Oregon State's single-season assists list by a junior.
Shuler also played a key role in the Beavs taking care of the ball. OSU is one of just 10 teams in the last five seasons (160 total games) to have 10-or-fewer turnovers against the Portland press.
The Beavs refused to allow extra possessions in any way, giving up six offensive rebounds and none in the first half. Lara Alonso-Basurto anchored the glass with 12 rebounds – tying her career-high - while Jenna Villa contributed eight rebounds and six assists.
Oregon State returns to action on Saturday. The Beavers host longtime conference foe Washington State at 1 p.m. with every game crucial for Credit Union 1 WCC Basketball Championship seeding.
OUR MISSION
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Team Stats
UP
OSU
FG%
.328
.406
3FG%
.250
.263
FT%
.769
.700
RB
36
45
TO
11
10
STL
7
7
Game Leaders
Pts
29
FGM
11
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's BasketballScott Rueck, Néné Sow, Tiara Bolden | Oregon State WBB Presser vs. Portland
Friday, February 20
Scott Rueck, Katie Field & Jenna Villa | Oregon State WBB Midweek Presser
Wednesday, February 18
Highlights | Oregon State WBB Comes Back from 11-Point Deficit to Beat Pacific (Calif.)
Monday, February 16
Scott Rueck, Lizzy Williamson, Jenna Villa | Oregon State WBB Presser vs. Santa Clara
Friday, February 13
