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SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – No. 20 Utah came into Friday night’s game averaging 83.6 points per game. No. 17 Oregon State held them nearly 40 points below that in a 58-44 victory at the Huntsman Center.
The Beavers (19-3, 8-3) won the previous matchup – contested 12 days prior – with offense, nearly setting a school record for field goal percentage in a 91-66 blowout in Corvallis. On Friday, the Beavs shot 41 percent from the floor but confined the Utes to 28.1 percent to win.
All told, OSU held an elite Utah offense 22 percent below its season field goal percentage (50%) and 20 percent below its season three-point percentage (38.8%) entering the game. The home team’s 44 points was a season-low by 14.
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“That was an elite-level defensive performance. Every time you make a mistake here, you pay for it. We made some mistakes on their shooters, but overall the energy and accuracy that we played defense with today was special,” Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck said. “Everybody makes a big deal about the elevation, but when you play with that much heart it doesn’t matter where you’re at. You’re going to find a way.”
The first quarter was a defensive struggle with the Beavs emerging in front 12-11. Neither team shot better than 33 percent from the field and OSU held Utah to 1-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Raegan Beers and Kennedie Shuler earned free throws by getting to the rim, which provided the slim lead.
Oregon State pulled away at the end of the second quarter. Home state favorite Timea Gardiner scored six points in a 7-0 run to give her Beavs a 30-22 lead entering the break. The sophomore – making her first trip home in orange and black – finished with a sterling all-around performance of 10 points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals.
Talia von Oelhoffen and Donovyn Hunter helped extend the lead to 49-38 after three with five points each in the third. Hunter closed the game with 10 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal.
The freshman combined with Beers offensively to make the lead stand up in the fourth. The sophomore closed the day with a game-high 17 points and 8 rebounds. She made 7-of-10 shots and was a team-high +20.
The Beavs head to Boulder for a battle with No. 4 Colorado on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.
