WOMENS BASKETBALL

Oregon State 79, UCLA 77

GARY HOROWITZ
ASSOCIATEDP PRESS

CORVALLIS, Ore. - Talia von Oelhoffen made a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to lift No. 11 Oregon State to a 79-77 victory over No. 9 UCLA.

After an official’s review, the basket counted and the Beavers (21-3, 10-3 Pac-12) had their sixth straight win.

Oregon State rallied from seven points down in the final three minutes. Von Oelhoffen finished with 22 points, including six 3-pointers, and Timea Gardiner had a career-high 21 points.

Lauren Betts scored a career-high 24 points to lead UCLA (19-5, 8-5).

The Bruins appeared to have won the game when Betts connected on a 15-foot jumper with 1.1 seconds left for a 77-76 lead. Betts received the ball just left of the free throw line and drilled the uncontested jumper.

But Oregon State had one final opportunity and converted. The near sell-out crowd at Gill Coliseum erupted into a frenzy when von Oelhoffen hit the long jumper.

Angela Dugalic made a 3 with 6.6 seconds remaining to give the Bruins a 75-74 advantage. However, von Oelhoffen made a layup with 2 seconds to go to put the Beavers ahead.

It was a tight game throughout and neither team led by more than seven points.

Oregon State played most of the game without leading scorer Raegan Beers. She was hit with an elbow to the nose by UCLA’s Kiki Rice, who was called for an intentional foul early in the second quarter. Beers left for the locker room after spending several minutes on the floor and did not return.

Without the inside presence of Beers, Oregon State was forced to the perimeter to generate much of its offense. The Beavers finished 11 for 19 on 3-pointers.

BIG PICTURE

UCLA: The Bruins, who have marquee wins this season over UConn, Ohio State USC, Colorado and Oregon State, have an excellent inside-outside combo with Betts and Charisma Osborne, who finished with 13 points.

Oregon State: The Beavers, who were a Final Four team in 2016, have five wins over ranked teams. They are a lock to be back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Depth is among Oregon State’s major strengths.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

Oregon State athletics press release

February 16, 2024