OSU Women’s Basketball Can’t Push Ahead In Seesaw Loss To Oregon

Both teams exhibited strong shooting, especially in the first 10 minutes of the first half.

Salem-News.com

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Brittney Davis scored in double-figures for the eighth straight game, finishing with a career-high 23, but the Oregon State women’s basketball team dropped a seesaw battle to Oregon, 76-72, in front of 3,036 fans Saturday afternoon at legendary Gill Coliseum.

The game was the Pacific-10 Conference opener for both clubs. Oregon State dropped to 7-5 overall this season, while Oregon improved to 7-5.

“I thought it was a very good game,” Oregon State head coach LaVonda Wagner said. “Obviously, we would have liked to come out on the winning end. However, it did not come out that way, so we put this one on the shelf, learn from it and work to get the next one.”

The game proved to be back-and-forth, with the lead changing hands 16 times. Oregon’s biggest lead came at the 18:16 mark of the second half after a layup by Taylor Lilley, who finished with a team-leading 21 points.

Oregon State’s biggest lead, meanwhile, also occurred in the second half, it coming at the 14:33 mark. Ashley Allen connected on a jumper to put the Beavers up by four, 44-40.

Allen’s jumper ended an 11-0 run for Oregon State that spanned nearly four minutes. During that stretch, OSU overcame a four-point deficit, 40-33, to get to the four-point lead.

With 23 points on Saturday, Davis topped her previous high of 20, set this season on Dec. 20 against Texas Southern. The Portland native was 6-for-14 from the floor, making all nine free throws she attempted. The guard also connected on two three-pointers in five attempts and dished out four assists.

Three other Beavers reached double figures. Allen scored in double figures for the 11th time this season, finishing with 16 points. Tiffany Ducker also finished with 16, three off tying her season-high, while making eight of her 10 field-goal attempts.

Mercedes Fox-Griffin had 11 points and seven assists in the loss.

Stacey Nichols set a career-high with 10 rebounds, five coming offensively. Oregon, however, held the advantage on the boards, 35-28.

Lilley led UO with 21 points while Micaela Cocks scored 13. Oregon shot 52.7 percent from the floor, compared to Oregon State’s 47.4. The Ducks connected on eight three-pointers in 20 attempts, while OSU was 3-for-12.

The Beavers did win the turnover battle, keeping their Pac-10 leading advantage in the category. Oregon committed 14 turnovers to Oregon State’s nine, improving the Beavers’ season margin. The club came into the game plus-3.64 on the season.

Oregon took a 35-31 lead into the lockerroom at halftime as both teams exhibited strong shooting, especially in the first 10 minutes of the first half. The Ducks posted a 53.8 percentage in the half, and were 5-for-11 on attempts from the three-point line. OSU, meanwhile, shot at a 48 percent clip and was 3-of-6 on three-pointers.

Ducker and Davis paced the Beavers with eight points apiece in the half, with Allen scoring seven. Nichols led both teams with six rebounds in the first half. For Oregon, Lilley led the team with 12 points, making 2-of-5 shots from beyond the three-point arc.

Oregon State continues Pac-10 play Thurs., January 3rd when hosting Arizona at legendary Gill Coliseum. The game starts at 7:00 PM PT. The game can be heard live by tuning into KTHH 990-AM in the Corvallis area and KKAD 1550-AM in Portland.

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