'Sunday Showdown' women's basketball preview: No. 9 Washington at No. 22 Oregon State
Who: No. 9 Washington at No. 22 Oregon State
When: Sunday, January 1 at 12 p.m. PT/1 p.m. MT on Pac-12 Network, Pac-12 Washington and Pac-12 Oregon
On the call: Ann Schatz and Elise Woodward
On the home side: No. 22 Oregon State (11-1, 0-0 Pac-12)
In a battle of Top 25’s, we’re sure to be in for a high scoring affair when No. 9 Washington travels to Corvallis to take on No. 22 Oregon State.
This matchup will feature some of the Pac-12’s premier scorers in Washington’s All-American and newly crowned Pac-12 all-time leading scorer Kelsey Plum against the conference's record holder for career three pointers in Sydney Wiese. Oregon State has been impressive so far considering they’re only returning two starters from the team that went to the Final Four last year. The rest of the roster played a combined 20 minutes in their national semifinal loss.
Needless to say, Oregon State’s continued dominance can be attributed to the superior tutelage of head coach Scott Rueck and standouts Sydney Wiese and Gabriella Hanson. The returning pair of starters will have to bring their best efforts if they want get a big home win against Washington.
Beavers to watch:
Sydney Wiese: The premier scorer for the Beavers, Wiese not only poses as an elite threat from beyond the arc, but the senior guard also provides a healthy contribution in the assist and rebound categories. In Oregon State’s 93-52 domination of UC Davis, Wiese recorded a career-high 27 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. She’ll likely have to bring a similar effort if the Beavers are going to start out the conference slate on a winning note.
Marie Gulich: The freshman from Cologne, Germany is quickly emerging as a star for the Beavers on the scoring sheet. In her first season at Oregon State, Gulich is averaging 9.8 points while also contributing on the glass with her 6-foot-5 frame. Her presence on defense might be more important considering she’ll have to do her best to contain two of the Pac-12's leading scorers in Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor.
On the visiting side: No. 9 Washington (13-1, 1-0 Pac-12)
Coming off an impressive run that saw Washington reach the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament last season, the Huskies will look to continue their reign of dominance with two of the NCAA’s premier players in Kelsey Plum and Chantel Osahor. The Huskies only blemish in their non-conference schedule came against a tough Notre Dame squad, so it’s safe to say the Huskies will be a force to reckon with in Pac-12 play.
Huskies to watch:
Kelsey Plum: When you talk about Washington women’s basketball, you have to start with the Pac-12’s all-time scoring leader in Kelsey Plum. The senior guard reached the pinnacle against Boise State with a 44-point effort that put her past Stanford’s Chiney Ogwumike for first on the all-time scoring list. Plum will look to continue her dominance heading into Washington’s first conference game against Oregon State.
With this free throw, Kelsey Plum has become the all-time leading scorer in @Pac12 history. https://t.co/WlVBDAkM0Z
— Washington WBB (@UW_WBB) December 11, 2016
Chantel Osahor: All you need to know about the senior forward is that she has a streak of nine consecutive double-doubles going. Osahor also recorded the first triple-double in program history in a 105-53 win against Idaho on November 22, finishing with a line of 11 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists. In short, Osahor is an absolute monster on the stat sheet. The one-two punch of Plum and Osahor should give Oregon State all they can handle come Sunday.
Story to watch:
Sunday’s game will feature three of the Pac-12's best scorers in Plum, Osahor and Wiese. If nothing else, we should see an absolute show from these three. Look for Plum to have another impressive showing against an inexperienced Oregon State team. Wiese will likely have to turn in one of the best performances of her career if she wants her squad to get a huge home win over the Huskies.