There was no doubt the Oregon State Beavers were going to be a tough opponent for UC Irvine. The smaller Anteaters came out early and used their speed and athleticism to create early issues for the Beavs but they had no answer for Miklayla Pivec and Taylor Jones. Pivec flirted with a triple-double in the game ending with 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. Jones, making her regular season college debut scored all 20 of her points in the first half. She had her parents in town from Forney, Texas and was excited to be a part of the pre-season WNIT
Aleah Goodman was also outstanding for the Beavers. 12 points on four three pointers and she added 10 assists.
Oregon State marches into round two of the WNIT hosting Pacific University of Stockton, California Monday night. The game can be heard on the Beaver Sports Network beginning at 6:30.
Here is the official Oregon State news release on the win over UC Irvine:
Senior Mikayla Pivec and freshman Taylor Jones both went over 20 points as the No. 6/7 Oregon State women’s basketball team opened the 2019-20 season with an 86-57 win over UC Irvine Saturday evening at Gill Coliseum.
“It was great to get the first win,” said Oregon State head coach Scott Rueck. “It’s always a relief to get that first one under your belt, and I was really proud of the team for the way they came out tonight. This team is continuing to rise and find ways. Our team had to weather a unique style of play. There is no way to replicate the way Irvine plays, and it took us a little while to settle in. I think the way we adapted showed a lot of maturity within our team. We had great performances throughout our lineup. It was a great night for us.”
Pivec narrowly missed a triple double, going for 25 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists. The guard shot 10-for-13 from the floor. Jones finished with 20 points, tied for the third-highest total by a freshman in their debut in program history. She also notched a double-double, pulling down 10 rebounds.
Junior Aleah Goodman tallied her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Redshirt-junior Destiny Slocum rounded out four Beavers in double-figures, scoring 11 points to go with six assists.
Freshman Kennedy Brown recorded six points and nine rebounds in her Oregon State debut.
Oregon State (1-0) shot 59.6 percent from the floor in the contest, while holding UC Irvine (1-1) to 33.3 percent shooting. The Beavers also held a 43-32 advantage on rebounds and a 42-16 lead on points in the paint.
With the win, the Beavers advance to the second round of the WNIT, and will host Pacific on Monday.
The teams went back-and-forth early, as the Beavers took a 17-15 lead into the first media timeout. The Oregon State defense clamped down after the TV break, as the Beavers held UC Irvine scoreless for a stretch of over five minutes to spark a 10-0 run. OSU headed to the second up 27-17.
Jones tallied 12 points in the opening 10 minutes.
Oregon State extended the advantage to 12 early in the second, but the Anteaters battled back to get within four mid-way through the period. The Beavers built up the lead from there, going to the intermission up 45-31.
Jones went 8-for-9 in the first half to head to the locker room with 20 points.
OSU exploded on offense in the middle portion of the third quarter, scoring 12 unanswered points to bring the lead to 23. The Beavers lead 67-44 heading into the closing frame, and rolled from there to take the win by 29.
The Beavers will head to the second round of the WNIT Monday, when Pacific visits Gill Coliseum.