Kennedie Shuler put together the kind of all-around night that can tilt a game in a hurry, and Oregon State used it to cruise past Northwest Nazarene 77-53 on Wednesday night at Gill Coliseum.
Shuler finished with a season-high 15 points, plus seven assists and six steals, while Oregon State controlled the game with its defense and steady pressure. The Beavers forced 31 turnovers and turned those into 21 offensive rebounds, then scored 22 second-chance points.
Northwest Nazarene had some success on the glass, finishing with 33 rebounds, including 21 offensive boards, and scored 24 second-chance points. But Oregon State’s size and activity still made the difference.
Freshmen Evelyn Smith and Maggie Warpus led Oregon State with 11 rebounds apiece, and Lara Alonso-Basurto added 10 boards. Smith also scored 12 points, going 5 for 5 from the field. She missed her first free throw of the season after starting 15 for 15 in the team’s first two games.
Freshman guard Ashley Pusitato was injured on the potential severity of that injury. “We’ll see what happens with Ashley. We’re praying for the best for her,” coach Scott Rueck said.
Rueck said the Beavers were aggressive from the opening tip and liked the way the ball moved. “I loved our defensive rebounding.
I loved our offensive rebounding. I thought those things were excellent.
That’s progress for us,” Rueck said. “I thought the ball moved pretty well.
And then I thought we provided our own amount of disruption in the game.”
Shuler said she was focused on creating offense and setting the tone. Asked about her approach going into the game, Shuler said she was “trying to be me, honestly.”
“Now that I’m a senior I sometimes when you do play a D1 team you can tend to … play down to that level. Not saying that they’re not a great team, they were awesome.
So I just kind of had that in the back of my mind. I just wanted to come in with great energy and just set the tone,” Shuler said.
Oregon State will play its first road game Sunday against former Pac-12 Conference opponent Arizona. The Wildcats are 2-0 after opening the season with wins over Stanford and Iona. They will play defending national champions UCLA on Thursday.
Rueck said he wants the matchup to be a real test for his team. He said he would love to see a big crowd so the team can get a taste of playing in a hostile environment. And he wants to see players tested against the size and speed of a Power Four roster.
“Gonzaga is coming when everything starts counting for real in January and so right now it’s preparation for that and what’s to come after that,” Rueck said. “Great opportunity.”
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Oregon State Faces A Wide Open Chance In Boise State Shootout
Boise States offense has been doing its part, but the bigger question heading into this matchup is whether its defense can hold up long enough to make the game manageable. Coach Spencer Danielson has already acknowledged the problems on that side of the ball, and Oregon State gets a chance to test them after back-to-back losses have left the Beavers looking for a reset. For Oregon State, this is the kind of game that can still be shaped by execution and tempo, with quarterback Braden Atkinson and receiver Jesse Legree expected to carry much of the load.
JaMarcus Shephards group also has its own work to do, especially after the defense has been asked to tighten up in recent weeks. Boise State has been living in shootout territory, which means Oregon State does not need perfection to stay in the fight, but it does need cleaner play than it has shown lately. If the Beavers can make the Broncos defend for four quarters and avoid giving away easy answers on the other side, they at least give themselves a real path into a game that looks wide open on paper. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Faces One Huge Week 11 Question Under Center
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The injury report does not stop there, either. Running back Sire Gaines and safety Travis Anderson are also questionable, while left guard Carson Rasmussen has already been ruled out, adding another layer of concern for a Boise State team trying to sort through its lineup late in the week. If Madsen cannot go, the Broncos will have to adjust quickly under center, and the ripple effects could shape how they approach the matchup from the opening snap. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Is About To Test An Oregon State Defense In Flux
After the loss to Texas State, Oregon State head coach Jamarcus Shephard spent part of the week trying to steady a defense that has some obvious issues to clean up before Boise State arrives. The Beavers have been working through adjustments after getting exposed against the run, and the task does not get any easier with a Broncos offense built around a productive ground game and a physical backfield.
The challenge is made tougher by the absence of safety Sai Vadrawale, who remains sidelined with an injury, leaving Oregon State to sort through its options in the secondary while the front seven tries to tighten up. Boise State brings a dangerous rushing attack into the matchup, and for a defense already in flux, Saturday is shaping up as another early test of how quickly those fixes can take hold. [Read more 🡒]