Survive and Advance: Beavers Upset USC 56-48 in Pac-12 Tournament

Mar 2, 2023 - 3:57 PM

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Oregon State came into the Pac-12 tournament as an eleven seed, but the Beavers were clearly a dangerous team. Throughout the regular season they came close to beating just about every team they faced, but couldn’t convert those performances into wins. They proved their grit in the opening round of the tournament, as the Beavers upset the 6 seeded USC Trojans 56-48.

The Trojans led for most of the first half, but Oregon State kept things close. After trailing 22-21 after the first half, Oregon State the Beavers grabbed their first lead since the early first quarter with a Raegan Beers layup midway through the third. The Beavers held the lead for much of the third quarter, but a pair of layups in the final minute gave USC the lead back as the fourth quarter began.

The Trojans stretched their lead to 8 points a few minutes into the fourth, but USC’s shooting went cold right as the Beavers went on a run. A three from Adlee Blacklock and free throws from Jelena Mitrovic and Raegan Beers erased the Trojan lead, and a pair of free throws from AJ Marotte gave the Beavers the lead with 3:44 to go.

Beers got that lead up to three with a pair of free throws as the game entered it’s final minute, and then to 5 with a driving layup and 38 seconds left on the clock. A three from USC’s Kayla Williams cut the OSU lead to 2, but the Trojans were out of time and forced to foul the Beavs to have a shot. All the Beavers aced their free throws shots however, and the Beavers walked out with an eight point 56-48 win.

Raegan Beers once again led the team in scoring, with 18 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assist. Adlee Blacklock was right behind her, with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist. Jelena Mitrovic also broke into double digits, with 12 points, 6 rebounds an 1 assist.

Up next Oregon State will be facing the tournament’s third seed, the Colorado Buffaloes. It’ll be another late game for the Beavers, with tip off set for 8:30 PM PT tonight.