No. 17 Oregon State holds No. 4 Colorado to its lowest scoring total of the season in 65-59 win
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Talia von Oelhoffen scored 18 points and No. 17 Oregon State played tough defense to hold No. 4 Colorado to its lowest scoring total of the season and beat the Buffaloes 65-59 on Sunday.
It was Oregon State's fifth straight win and first top-5 road victory in the team's history.
The winning streak by the Beavers (20-3, 9-3 Pac-12) began with a win over the then-No. 3 Buffaloes on Jan. 26.
“I thought our team really embraced how hard it was going to be and how fast they play at home,” Oregon State coach Scott Rueck said. “I thought we did a really good job of keeping them out of transition for most of the game and I just loved our defensive intensity and our accuracy.”
Raegan Beers added 12 points and 12 rebounds and spearheaded Oregon State’s strong defensive play. Timea Gardiner also had 12 points, all on 3-pointers.
“We know what we were capable of doing coming into this game," Beers said. "I think that helped us today.”
Colorado (20-4, 10-3) put together a strong fourth quarter, outscoring Oregon State 21-5, but the Beavers had built a large enough lead to survive the surge. They led by as many as 25 points in the second half.
Jaylyn Sherrod had 14 points for the Buffaloes, who were held to 36.9% shooting from the floor. The Buffaloes previous scoring low came in a 61-48 win at Oregon two weeks ago.
Colorado struggled against Oregon State’s physical defense from the outset, hitting just three of their first 15 shots and trailing 17-8 after the first quarter. It was the Buffaloes lowest point total in the first quarter since scoring six in a Nov. 25 loss against North Carolina State.
“I’m really proud of how we competed and battled and fought down the stretch of the game,” Colorado coach JR Payne said. “I’m also proud and equally frustrated with how we started the game. I thought we got decent looks but I also thought we kind of went back to taking some ill-advised early shots which we know doesn’t work for us. We weren’t prepared to execute the offense the way it needed to be executed.”
BIG PICTURE
Oregon State: The Beavers have relied on strong defensive play throughout the season and they showcased it again in their latest victory. They leaned on it in the second half to hold off Colorado's late charge.
Colorado: The Buffaloes looked out of sorts offensively for most of the game but rallied in the fourth period. They succeeded in making it close but were too far out of it to come back.
UP NEXT
Oregon State: Hosts No. 9 UCLA on Friday night.
Colorado: Visits No. 20 Utah on Friday night.
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AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball
