Oregon State Women's Basketball: Beavers Close Out Non Conference Schedule With 61-56 Loss to Miami

The Beavers finished their non-conference schedule in Hawaii for the Maui Classic, and fell to the Hurricanes in a close game. With the team at 4-8 overall,

John Severs | 10 Hours Ago

Mar 29, 2024; Albany, NY, USA; Oregon State Beavers head coach Scott Rueck speaks to his players on the court during the first half in the semifinals of the Albany Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at the MVP Arena at MVP Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Oregon State women came up just short in their final game in the Maui Classic, losing to the Miami Hurricanes 61-56. The loss drops the Beavers to 4-8, and closes out the non-conference portion of their schedule.

After a close first quarter ended with the game tied 13-13, Tiara Bolden gave the Beavers the lead at the start of the second with a three point jumper. Oregon State would hold the lead for most of the quarter, with Catarina Ferreira leading the charge. Ferreira scored 9 in the period, and the Beavers closed out the half up 4, 31-27.

Neither team could hit a shot at the start of the third quarter, but after AJ Marotte hit a jumper for the Beavers to get scoring started, momentum swung hard toward Miami. An 8 point run put the Hurricanes in front, while Oregon State struggled to hit a shot. The Beavers were outscored 16-6 in the third, giving Miami a 43-37 lead headed into the final quarter.

The Beavers fought hard but just couldn't close the gap. AJ Marotte and Catalina Ferreira both came up with clutch shots, but the Beavers never found a way to throw the Hurricanes off their game, and Miami just refused to make mistakes the Beavers could capitalize on. OSU trimmed the lead down, but not by much, falling by 5 in the end.

Catarina Ferreira led the Beavers in scoring again, with 19 points and 3 rebounds. Kelsey Rees also broke double digits, with 15 points and 9 rebounds.

The Beavers have a week off for the holidays, and when they return to action West Coast Conference play will get started in full. OSU starts a trip to Spokane to take on Gonzaga, which should be a good test of their ability to compete in the WCC. The game is scheduled for Saturday December 28th, with tip off set for 1 PM PT.

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JOHN SEVERS

Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for Sports Illustrated, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.