University of Washington
Oregon State
Huskies Fall In Pac-12 Tourney Semis To Oregon St.
March 06, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Box Score | Highlights |
SEATTLE – Washington's run in the Pac-12 Tournament came to an end on Saturday night at KeyArena, falling to No. 8 Oregon State in a thrilling semifinal, 57-55. The fifth-seeded Huskies (22-10, 11-7) had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but Kelsey Plum's shot rimmed out and the top-seeded Beavers (27-4, 16-2) moved on.
After a hot-shooting first half, the game settled into a defensive struggle after the break. The Dawgs who led at the half, trailed by as many as seven in the fourth quarter, battled back, but came up just short.
Chantel Osahor led the way for the Dawgs with 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists, making four 3-pointers. Talia Walton added 15, while Kelsey Plum had 14 and a career-high tying eight rebounds. Katie Collier added eight points as the Huskies also played three off the bench a night after not subbing until the fourth quarter.
Both teams had it going at the offensive end early as the Beavers led by as many as seven in the first quarter, before the Dawgs got hot from 3-point range. Washington made 5-6 from beyond the arc in the quarter as the team's fought to a 21-21 tie after one.
The pace settled in the second quarter as the Dawgs began to get stops, but also cooled off a bit from the floor. Osahor stayed aggressive at the offensive end, finishing the half with 13 and helping the Dawgs build a six-point lead. Oregon State made four 3's in the quarter and came back to tie it, but Plum gave the Dawgs a 37-35 lead at the break, drawing a foul and making two free throws with two seconds to play.
For the half, both teams made seven 3-pointers, but it was the Dawgs shooting an efficient 7-10, while Oregon State needed 19 shots to make their seven. The Beavers stayed in it with six offensive rebounds and turning it over just four times.
The Huskies went cold in the third quarter, making just 2-14 from the field, but hung around with some strong defense. Walton scored all seven points for the Dawgs in the quarter as they trailed 48-44 heading to the final period.
Oregon State kept their lead the entire fourth quarter and extended to 57-50 with 6:16 to play. From there the two teams would go scoreless for over four minutes as rugged, physical defensive play took over. Washington pulled within five on a driving Osahor layup. Then, the Dawgs got within two with 37 seconds left when Plum found Osahor for her fourth 3-pointer of the game.
Needing a stop, the Huskies decided not to foul and play another great defensive possession, getting a shot clock violation. That set up the final seconds, but the Dawgs had to hurry with Oregon State having two fouls to give. After one quick foul, Plum broke free, driving to the lane and attempting a runner off the glass. The shot rimmed out and Oregon State prevailed, 57-55, despite not scoring for the final 6:16 of the game.
The Beavers will advance to the final to face UCLA who beat California in overtime in the first semifinal. Washington will now await the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, March 14, to see where they will be playing. ESPN currently projects the Dawgs as a No. 7 seed, but the Huskies will find out what their seed will be a week from Monday.
