Beavs Force Overtime After 18-Point Comeback Against #7 Utah

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State was down 18 midway through the second quarter and as many as 15 points in the fourth and battled back to force overtime before falling 75-73 to No. 7 Utah.
 
The Beavs held the Pac-12's top offense to just 35.9 percent shooting – the third-lowest percentage on the year for the Utes - while blocking eight shots, led by five from Jelena Mitrovic. Talia von Oelhoffen also blocked a pair and had two steals to go with her team-high 17 points.
 
Bendu Yeaney made big shots down the stretch to finish with 13 points. She also dished four assists and had three steals, all in the fourth quarter.
 
The matchup got off to an inauspicious start for the Beavs with the Utes jumping out to a 14-4 lead at the first quarter media timeout. Utah shot 60 percent, including 50 percent from three, during the opening stretch.
 
OSU tightened up defensively over the next ten minutes, but continued struggles on the offensive end allowed Utah to extend its lead to 31-13 at the second quarter break. The Beavs had some success getting to the rim with Raegan Beers and Yeaney getting shots to fall around the basket but couldn't get jumpers to fall that would have cut into the lead.
 
The Beavers looked to be fighting their way back into the game late in the second quarter when von Oelhoffen sandwiched a drawn charge between making a three and a jumper to single-handedly pull OSU back within 12. Utah dragged the lead back out to 17 before the Beavers closed the half on a 6-0 spurt to make it 38-27 at the break.
 
Utah extended its lead out as far as 16 in the third quarter, but the Beavs continued the battle. Von Oelhoffen and Timea Gardiner combined on an 8-0 run late in the period to pull OSU within seven and the Beavs closed the quarter down just eight at 54-46.
 
The Utes had one more run in them to open the fourth quarter, a 7-0 spurt that put Oregon State behind by 15 points. The Beavs chipped away immediately. After losing the ball, Yeaney immediately stole it back and finished a layup that kickstarted an 8-0 run.
 
Down 64-54 after a Ute three, Adlee Blacklock answered with her second triple of the game to make it 64-57. Yeaney buried the next three-pointer, a corner three with the shot clock winding down, to make it a four-point game. The senior had another steal and score in the closing moments to keep the deficit at four. Von Oelhoffen cut it to two with a basket in the paint before Gardiner posted up a smaller defender to tie the game at 66.
 
The battle continued in overtime with Yeaney scoring Oregon State's first two baskets before Utah took a 73-72 lead. Trailing by a pair, the Beavs appeared to get a stop but a foul went against Yeaney on what looked to be a clean strip. OSU had a late shot to tie the game at 75, but free throws missed the mark in the closing moments to allow Utah to slip away.
 
Oregon State hosts Colorado on Sunday. The Beavs take on the Buffs at 12 p.m. with the game televised on Pac-12 Oregon and Pac-12 Mountain.

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