Nick Daschel's Latest Article on O-Live
Jan 30, 2022 22:04:30 GMT -8
matt90 and sewingbeaver like this
Post by jimbob on Jan 30, 2022 22:04:30 GMT -8
Again this was listed as subscriber only so I'm copying and pasting instead of linking: By Nick Daschel | The Oregonian/OregonLive
CORVALLIS – As is often the case when Oregon State has a young, developing women’s basketball roster, there are noticeable growth spurts.
It happened again this weekend. The Beavers emerged as an interesting team to watch down the regular season stretch after they beat UCLA 72-58 Sunday afternoon in Gill Coliseum.
During its weekend sweep of the LA schools, Oregon State showed tenacity, improved offense and a breakout star in Talia von Oelhoffen.
Two days after beating USC 63-61 on a buzzer-beating overtime layup by Kennedy Brown, Oregon State (11-5, 4-2 Pac-12) backed it up with a sensational closing kick. Surging UCLA cut the Beavers’ lead to 53-51 with 4:35 when OSU responded with a wicked 19-4 run to put away the Bruins.
In 90 seconds, Oregon State took away all doubt when it scored on four consecutive possessions to take an 11-points lead. It might not have happened two weeks ago, or even at any point earlier this season.
“Our decision making offensively, it’s just getting better,” OSU coach Scott Rueck said.
Rueck explained that the Beavers had trouble playing fast early in the season. So he backed off the offense to focus on the half-court game. But this weekend, the pieces fell into place. Oregon State ran when it could, slowed it down when things weren’t there.
“We had that perfect balance of push and take advantage, or slow and execute,” Rueck said.
It came together, in part, because von Oelhoffen has found another gear to her game. The second-year freshman guard scored 21 points against UCLA, and 52 during the weekend. As spectacular as she was scoring, von Oelhoffen was equally impressive setting up teammates. She had six assists Sunday, two coming on two of the prettiest passes Gill has seen this season. One was a half-court dime to a breaking A.J. Marotte for a layup during the fourth quarter.
“I came into the game wanting to push the pace,” von Oelhoffen said. “I told all my wings, run up the floor and I’ll get you the ball.”
Von Oelhoffen has had moments of stardom this season, but not quite like the two-game stretch she had this weekend. Oregon State leaned hard on von Oelhoffen against USC when she scored a career-high 31. Sunday, von Oelhoffen sat for most of the first half in foul trouble. But she bounced back after halftime, scoring 15 points and handing out five assists.
This is von Oelhoffen’s first year running the offense, as last season she mostly played off the ball with senior Aleah Goodman playing point guard. Now von Oelhoffen is the target of opposing team’s scouting reports.
“That’s hard to do,” Rueck said. “She’s understanding how to be able to create a little more space for herself, and pick her spots a little more.”
And, oh, those passes. Which surprises Rueck not in the least. When he recruited von Oelhoffen as a prep star in Washington, her passes were the highlight of videos.
“There’s not very many players that have vision like that and the ability to throw those passes,” Rueck said. “As she gets more comfortable, the turnovers have decreased, and everything is higher percentage. It’s fun to watch her settle in and become a dynamic playmaker.”
But it’s far from a one-man band. If von Oelhoffen is the sizzle, Taya Corosdale is the steak. The fifth-year junior is the team’s most dependable player in terms of playing time. During her last seven games, Corosdale is averaging 38.5 minutes a game. During 36 minutes Sunday, Corosdale delivered 18 points and five rebounds, and two of the season’s most clutch three-pointers.
One came in the first half. With one second left on the shot clock, OSU was forced to run a hurried in-bounds play. Corosdale slipped free and drained a three to put the Beavers up 11. Then in the fourth quarter, with UCLA making a furious comeback to pull to within two, Corosdale quieted the Bruins with a three-pointer that triggered a 19-4 OSU run.
“If the team needs me, I’ll do exactly what I need to do to be out there. Get deflections, buckets, whatever I can,” Corosdale said.
Oregon State’s growth spurt couldn’t have better timing, as the Beavers enter their most difficult stretch of the season. OSU heads to Arizona this week to play Arizona State and Arizona. Then it’s the annual rivalry series against Oregon, followed by a home game against defending national champion Stanford.
“They do the best that they know how, all the time,” Rueck said. “That’s the part of this where I have hope … we’re still learning, and there’s still a lot of growth for this group.”
CORVALLIS – As is often the case when Oregon State has a young, developing women’s basketball roster, there are noticeable growth spurts.
It happened again this weekend. The Beavers emerged as an interesting team to watch down the regular season stretch after they beat UCLA 72-58 Sunday afternoon in Gill Coliseum.
During its weekend sweep of the LA schools, Oregon State showed tenacity, improved offense and a breakout star in Talia von Oelhoffen.
Two days after beating USC 63-61 on a buzzer-beating overtime layup by Kennedy Brown, Oregon State (11-5, 4-2 Pac-12) backed it up with a sensational closing kick. Surging UCLA cut the Beavers’ lead to 53-51 with 4:35 when OSU responded with a wicked 19-4 run to put away the Bruins.
In 90 seconds, Oregon State took away all doubt when it scored on four consecutive possessions to take an 11-points lead. It might not have happened two weeks ago, or even at any point earlier this season.
“Our decision making offensively, it’s just getting better,” OSU coach Scott Rueck said.
Rueck explained that the Beavers had trouble playing fast early in the season. So he backed off the offense to focus on the half-court game. But this weekend, the pieces fell into place. Oregon State ran when it could, slowed it down when things weren’t there.
“We had that perfect balance of push and take advantage, or slow and execute,” Rueck said.
It came together, in part, because von Oelhoffen has found another gear to her game. The second-year freshman guard scored 21 points against UCLA, and 52 during the weekend. As spectacular as she was scoring, von Oelhoffen was equally impressive setting up teammates. She had six assists Sunday, two coming on two of the prettiest passes Gill has seen this season. One was a half-court dime to a breaking A.J. Marotte for a layup during the fourth quarter.
“I came into the game wanting to push the pace,” von Oelhoffen said. “I told all my wings, run up the floor and I’ll get you the ball.”
Von Oelhoffen has had moments of stardom this season, but not quite like the two-game stretch she had this weekend. Oregon State leaned hard on von Oelhoffen against USC when she scored a career-high 31. Sunday, von Oelhoffen sat for most of the first half in foul trouble. But she bounced back after halftime, scoring 15 points and handing out five assists.
This is von Oelhoffen’s first year running the offense, as last season she mostly played off the ball with senior Aleah Goodman playing point guard. Now von Oelhoffen is the target of opposing team’s scouting reports.
“That’s hard to do,” Rueck said. “She’s understanding how to be able to create a little more space for herself, and pick her spots a little more.”
And, oh, those passes. Which surprises Rueck not in the least. When he recruited von Oelhoffen as a prep star in Washington, her passes were the highlight of videos.
“There’s not very many players that have vision like that and the ability to throw those passes,” Rueck said. “As she gets more comfortable, the turnovers have decreased, and everything is higher percentage. It’s fun to watch her settle in and become a dynamic playmaker.”
But it’s far from a one-man band. If von Oelhoffen is the sizzle, Taya Corosdale is the steak. The fifth-year junior is the team’s most dependable player in terms of playing time. During her last seven games, Corosdale is averaging 38.5 minutes a game. During 36 minutes Sunday, Corosdale delivered 18 points and five rebounds, and two of the season’s most clutch three-pointers.
One came in the first half. With one second left on the shot clock, OSU was forced to run a hurried in-bounds play. Corosdale slipped free and drained a three to put the Beavers up 11. Then in the fourth quarter, with UCLA making a furious comeback to pull to within two, Corosdale quieted the Bruins with a three-pointer that triggered a 19-4 OSU run.
“If the team needs me, I’ll do exactly what I need to do to be out there. Get deflections, buckets, whatever I can,” Corosdale said.
Oregon State’s growth spurt couldn’t have better timing, as the Beavers enter their most difficult stretch of the season. OSU heads to Arizona this week to play Arizona State and Arizona. Then it’s the annual rivalry series against Oregon, followed by a home game against defending national champion Stanford.
“They do the best that they know how, all the time,” Rueck said. “That’s the part of this where I have hope … we’re still learning, and there’s still a lot of growth for this group.”