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No. 7 Oregon State uses strong 3rd quarter to beat USC 76-52

Feb 20, 2016 - 7:26 AM CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) Oregon State coach Scott Rueck told his team to be more aggressive at halftime, and senior guard Jamie Weisner took that message to heart, especially after missing all six of her shots and being held to two points in the first half.

''My shot kind of felt off in the first half, so I was like, `Get to the hoop, get fouls, get something. Make something happen,''' Weisner said. ''Once I had that mindset, it just started falling from there.''

Weisner scored 16 of her 18 points in the third quarter, and the seventh-ranked Beavers came up big after halftime to beat USC 76-52 on Friday night.

''In the third quarter, we got into such a good rhythm offensively, where the ball was really flowing, we were getting stops, making them miss, running the floor,'' Rueck said.

Sydney Wiese added 14 points and nine assists and Ruth Hamblin had six points, 13 rebounds and five blocks for the Beavers (23-3, 14-1 Pac-12), who won their 13th straight.

Aliyah Mazyck scored 17 points off the bench and Alexis Lloyd added 10 points for the Trojans (18-9, 6-9).

After a hotly contested first half, Oregon State took control of the game by making its first nine shots in the third quarter. The Beavers' first miss came with 2:19 remaining in the period, which ended with Oregon State up 56-35.

The Beavers finished the game shooting 47.4 percent, compared to 27 percent for the Trojans. Oregon State also outrebounded USC 44-35.

USC coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke said her team played ''terrible'' defense in the third and fourth quarters, but praised the Trojans' hustle in the first half. ''We have to have that for 40 minutes, especially when you play the No. 7 team in the country,'' she added.

The start of the game featured physical, scrappy defense that led to poor shooting from both teams.

USC went on a 9-0 run between the end of the first quarter and the start of the second, capped by Kristen Simon's layup with 8:57 left in the half, to go ahead 13-9. But the Beavers, held scoreless for five minutes, responded with eight consecutive points to retake the lead.

Oregon State led 29-23 at halftime.

TIP-INS

USC: The Trojans began the season 12-0 before the start of Pac-12 play. ... Leading scorer Temi Fagbenie, who averages 14.2 points per game, scored eight points on Friday. ... USC's defense held Oregon State to 31 percent shooting in the first half.

Oregon State: The Beavers moved up one spot in the AP poll this week, and their No. 7 ranking matches their highest ranking in program history. ... Wiese has 27 assists and five turnovers in her last three games. ... Gabriella Hanson and Taylor Kalmer each scored 10 points for Oregon State.

DEFENSE

Oregon State limited USC's top post players, Fagbenie and Simon, to 3-for-21 shooting from the field.

''They took our big players out of the game early by being very physical and double teaming them. Temi and Kris never really got into an offensive rhythm,'' Cooper-Dyke said.

Rueck said his team focused on position defense and keeping USC's post players away from the rim.

REMATCH

The Beavers' next game is against UCLA, which beat Oregon State 71-51 on Jan. 4. The game, which Wiese missed due to a hand injury, is the Beavers' only Pac-12 loss, and players said they were excited for the rematch. ''I think we're a different team now, and we've progressed a lot since them,'' Weisner said.

UP NEXT

USC: At Oregon on Sunday.

Oregon State: Hosts UCLA on Sunday.