Beavers Move to 4-0 With Win Over Hofstra

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The No. 7/7 Oregon State women's basketball team handed Hofstra its first loss of the 2015-16 season Friday afternoon, taking a 73-50 victory at the San Juan Shootout in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“I thought we defended really well,” said Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck. “Hofstra is the most athletic team we've seen, and they're not an easy team to stay in front of. I think we shot the ball well, and overall this is a good win over a very nice Hofstra team.”

Oregon State (4-0) shot 57.8 percent from the floor and 70 percent from 3-point range, compared to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor for Hofstra (3-1). The Beavers also held a 37-19 advantage in rebounds and hit 14 of their 17 free throws.

Junior Sydney Wiese led the Beavers with 19 points, hitting on seven of her eight field goal attempts, including three from long range. The Tempe, Ariz., native also notched five assists and seven rebounds in the contest. Senior Jamie Weisner joined Wiese in double-figures, scoring 15 points in the contest.

Senior Ruth Hamblin hit all five of her free-throw attempts on her way to 11 points in the game.  Freshman Katie McWilliams knocked down a pair of threes to end her afternoon with eight points.

The Beavers exploded out of the gate, jumping out to an early 12-2 lead behind a run of 12 unanswered points. Hofstra would close the gap to single digits late in the first quarter, but Oregon State was relentless, continuing to hit shot after shot in the second frame. The Beavers extended the advantage to 20 on corner three from McWilliams late in the half, and senior Samantha Siegner followed that up with a buzzer-beater to give Oregon State a 41-21 lead at the intermission.

“I think jumping out to an early lead was crucial for us,” Weisner said. “We got off to a great start offensively, and we were able to establish ourselves early on.”

The Beavers would continue to roll in the second half, opening up a 24-point lead early in the third quarter before the Pride battled back to within 18. Hofstra never got within striking distance, however, as Oregon State cruised to the 23-point win.

Oregon State will return to action Saturday, when it closes out the San Juan Shootout by taking on Arkansas at 11:30 a.m. PT.

Tickets for every game this season are available at BeaverTickets.com or by calling 800-GOBEAVS. Thirteen home games remain on this year's schedule, including marquee matchups against Tennessee, Stanford and Arizona State.