Oregon State threw a scare at Washington State, but the Cougars had enough of a cushion and poise to beat the Beavers 65-57 in women’s basketball Monday night at Gill Coliseum.
OSU trailed by 25 points midway through the third quarter, but a terrific fourth quarter rally pulled the Beavers to within three with 1:12 remaining. Washington State collected itself, made a few plays, and finished off the win and a season sweep of the Beavers.
It was Oregon State’s (9-13, 5-6 WCC) fourth consecutive loss. The Beavers, which two weeks ago was contending for first place in the West Coast Conference, is seventh, just a half-game ahead of eighth-place Santa Clara.
Washington State never trailed and all but wrapped up the game after hitting 10 three-pointers during the first half. The Cougars didn’t hit a shot from behind the arc during the second half, but a 48-23 lead with 6:45 remaining proved insurmountable, though barely.
Washington State (13-10, 8-4) is tied for second with Portland and Saint Mary’s, a half-game behind WCC leader Gonzaga.
Catarina Ferreira scored 13 points to lead Oregon State. The Beavers committed only 11 turnovers, but shot just 32%. Washington State made it difficult inside, blocking 12 shots. Alex Covill had six blocked shots.
Washington State led 42-21 at halftime following a stunning second quarter when the Cougars hit seven three-pointers to take over the game.
The Beavers trailed 15-12 after one quarter, but were overwhelmed by sharp-shooting WSU for the next 10 minutes. The Cougars hit seven three-pointers and outscored OSU 27-9 during the second quarter. Tara Wallack, who led Washington State with 12 points, went 3 for 3 from behind the arc during the second quarter.
The lead grew to 25 points with six minutes left in the third quarter when OSU launched a comeback bid. It was slow at first, as the Beavers trimmed the deficit to 54-34 after three.
The Beavers cranked up their defense, holding Washington State to two points during the first seven minutes of the third quarter. Two free throws by Ferreira with 3:41 left cut the WSU lead to nine. Moments later, OSU scored on four consecutive possessions, capped by a steal and layup from Ferreira to pull to within 59-56.
Washington State regrouped when Astera Tuhina hit a short jumper with 54 seconds left. The Cougars were able to hold on by shutting out Oregon State during the final 44 seconds.
—Nick Daschel can be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel.
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