ALBANY, N.Y. — Oregon State hardly ever makes somebody guess when it comes the issue that wins an enormous recreation.
Protection virtually all the time leads the way in which, and it was no totally different Friday when the Beavers eradicated Notre Dame from the ladies’s NCAA Event with a 70-65 win at MVP Enviornment.
OSU did a defensive quantity on the Irish. Notre Dame, among the many nation’s prime 25 in scoring and capturing share, had considered one of its worst offensive performances of the season.
Solely three of Notre Dame’s 35 opponents held the Irish to fewer than 65 factors this season. The Irish shot 35.6%, considered one of their season’s worst percentages and greater than 10 factors below their common.
Main scorer Hannah Hidalgo didn’t get untracked. The freshman guard, who shot 4 of 17, tied a season low for factors with 10. Sonia Citron scored 22 factors, however wanted 25 photographs to do it.
“We sort of knew what we have been going to get. We began to get in our head a bit bit in that regard,” Notre Dame ahead Maddy Westbeld stated.
Oregon State has a manner of doing that. Through the NCAA Event, the Beavers have held Japanese Washington, Nebraska and Notre Dame to a median of 55.7 factors, 32% capturing general and 22% from three-point vary.
A yr in the past, after enduring this system’s first dropping season in a decade, OSU gamers bought collectively in the course of the spring and went to work.
“We sort of knew to ensure that us to get the place we needed to go, we would have liked to key in on protection,” sophomore ahead Timea Gardiner stated.
Offense makes the highlights and protection is figure. However who stated each can’t be enjoyable?
“We all know what it takes to win. We’re clearly doing it, so it’s tremendous enjoyable,” Gardiner stated.
Junior guard Talia von Oelhoffen stated it’s no thriller as to why Notre Dame shot a poor share. OSU’s protection isn’t searching for the steal. It’s about defensive place and making the Irish take photographs they don’t prefer to shoot.
“I hear on a regular basis, you guys bought fortunate as a result of they missed photographs. I’d inform you, effectively, they’re capturing the photographs we would like them to shoot they usually don’t usually shoot,” Oregon State coach Scott Rueck stated. “Possibly that’s fortunate, however I do know they’re actually uncomfortable capturing that. I performed. I do know. I do know which manner I need to go, and I do know which I sort of don’t.
“This staff has purchased into that.”
Hidalgo performed 34 minutes, however by no means bought into an offensive rhythm. After beginning the sport hitting two of her first three photographs, Hidalgo missed 13 consecutive photographs. She managed to get to 10 factors by scoring twice in the course of the ultimate 57 seconds.
It’s not the primary time Oregon State’s protection turned a proficient freshman inside out. A month in the past, the Beavers held USC’s JuJu Watkins, the nation’s prime freshman, to a capturing efficiency of 6 for 32.
“They did a extremely good job on Hannah,” Westbeld stated. “They did a extremely good job of enjoying strategic, and I feel we simply needed to get what we bought.”
— Nick Daschel covers Oregon State athletics, particularly soccer and basketball, and could be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel.
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