University of Washington
Oregon State
Beavers Pull Away Late From Huskies
February 11, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2012
VIDEO: Postgame Press Conference
SEATTLE - Kevin McGuff made it simple afterwards. The Huskies needed to play better defense, and that was the story of the game.
The Huskies can lament the missed layups and the bad breaks in a 78-73 loss to Oregon State on Saturday afternoon. But McGuff circled the 52 percent overall the Beavers shot from the field as the top factor preventing his team from securing their first weekend sweep in the Pac-12.
Jazmine Davis, battling a chest cold, scored 20 points to lead Washington, which fell to 13-10, 5-8 in Pac-12 Conference. It was the fifth straight game Davis has reached the 20-point barrier, although she made just 6 of 17 of her attempts. Regina Rogers added 16 points and seven rebounds, although she battled foul trouble throughout the game. Rogers played 30 minutes yet missed critical stretches because of questionable foul calls, including an offensive foul that led to a McGuff technical with six minutes to play.
"When Regina is in the game, I think we're in pretty good shape," McGuff said. "But when she wasn't, we struggled to get tough rebounds and score around the basket."
Oregon State had five scorers in double figures, led by Earlysia Marchbanks with 15 points and 11 rebounds. But it was the 15 off the bench by junior college transfer Mollee Schwegler, who had nine points all season coming into the game. Schwegler hit 4 of 6 shots from beyond the arc, and it was her traditional three-point play that broke a one-possession game with 3:18 to play.
The Beavers eventually extended the lead to nine with 44 seconds to go, but the Huskies refused to cede the game to their I-5 rivals. Davis made three consecutive threes late, including one from 25 feet to pull the Dawgs within three with five seconds left. Marchbanks then went down and made both free throws to seal the Beavers' win.
Both teams went to their locker rooms at halftime tied at 34. During the intermission, McGuff repeatedly emphasized the need to close out on defense and prevent dribble penetration. The Huskies couldn't execute the message, though, as OSU made 58 percent of its shot in the final 20 minutes, including points on 13 of its final 15 possessions.
Washington has little time to lament its missed chances, as the team heads south to the Arizona schools next weekend, beginning with the Sun Devils on Thursday at 7 p.m. ASU will wear all-black uniforms as part of a "blackout" promotion at Wells Fargo.
