An Oregon State women’s basketball season that hasn’t experienced losing at this level in a decade reached another low Thursday night in Gill Coliseum.
The Beavers blew a 17-point, third quarter lead, as Arizona State won its first Pac-12 game of the season, beating OSU 75-73.
Oregon State (11-17, 3-14) lost its ninth consecutive game by collapsing during the final 16 minutes. Seemingly in control with a 45-28 lead with 6:43 left in the third quarter, OSU fell apart as Arizona State made its run. The Sun Devils trimmed the deficit to five by the end of the third quarter and took the lead with seven minutes left. Jaddan Simmons’ three-pointer with 1:47 remaining gave ASU the lead for good.
The Oregon State losing streak is its longest since 2013, when the Beavers dropped 10 straight. The loss means the Beavers head into the Pac-12 tournament as the No. 11 seed. They’ll play either USC or Washington State in the first round of the tournament March 1 in Las Vegas.
Arizona State (8-18, 1-16) gave first-year coach Natasha Adair her first conference win.
The Sun Devils’ win was fueled by hot shooting, particularly from three-point range. ASU shot 53% during the second half, and made 7 of 10 shots from behind the arc. Tyi Skinner led the way, hitting five three-pointers and scoring 27 points.
Oregon State’s Bendu Yeaney just missed recording the school’s fifth all-time triple double. The sixth-year senior had 12 points, nine rebounds and 13 assists. Yeaney’s 13 assists was a career-high, and two off the OSU record.
The Beavers had five players score in double figures. Raegan Beers and Adlee Blacklock scored 14 points each, while Timea Gardiner had 13 and Jelena Mitrovic 11.
Earlier Thursday, Talia von Oelhoffen announced that her season is finished because of an unspecified injury. Von Oelhoffen is OSU’s leading scorer the past two years.
Oregon State’s undoing was its defense. Arizona State, one of the conference’s worst offenses, scored 49 points during the second half.
“To give up 49 points in a half on our home floor, to what’s been the worst shooting team in the conference … they didn’t look like it today,” OSU coach Scott Rueck said. “Clearly, we made some mistakes.”
It puzzled Rueck because Oregon State’s half-court defense has been solid throughout Pac-12 season. It’s turnovers that have crippled the Beavers. Yet in the second half, OSU had only five.
“Why? I’m going to have to go back and look. But a) give them a ton of credit. And b) I’ll look and see what we can improve,” Rueck said.
For a good part of three quarters, Oregon State appeared to be on the way to ending its eight-game losing streak. The Beavers shot 57% during the first half in taking a 36-26 halftime lead. Arizona State had offensive troubles, as the Sun Devils made just 10 of 37 shots during the opening half.
OSU’s lead swelled to 17 as a 7-0 run, capped by a Blacklock layup, put the Beavers in front 45-28 with 6:43 left.
Then the bottom dropped out. Arizona State scored 47 points during the final 16 minutes, 21 seconds. The Sun Devils ran off 12 consecutive points late in the third – 10 from Skinner – to cut the deficit to 47-43.
The Beavers took a 50-45 lead into the fourth quarter, but it quickly melted. After Simmons gave ASU the lead with 6:47 remaining, the teams traded leads four times over the next several minutes.
Arizona State had few empty possessions down the stretch. After Simmons hit the go-ahead basket with 1:47 left, the Sun Devils soon extended the lead to 71-66 on a jumper by Treasure Hunt and two free throws by Skinner.
ASU led by as many as six points with 14 seconds left when Oregon State tried to make it interesting, with three pointers by Blacklock and Gardiner. Time ran out, as ASU was able to get the ball inbounds and run out the clock.
Oregon State finishes the regular season Saturday when the Beavers play host to Arizona at noon in Gill Coliseum.
–Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel