Oregon State Beavers
Pac-12 (18-12, 9-9)
The Beavers best days are still ahead of them under second year head coach Scott Rueck. However, this young Oregon State squad had a respectable 2011-2012 campaign. It may be a springboard to bigger things in the future, but for now this is a quality team that has enough weapons on both ends of the floor to make some noise in March.
Big Wins: 1/12 Arizona State (56-51), 1/21 at USC (65-61), 2/11 at Washington (78-73)
Bad Losses: 12/2 vs North Texas (53-60), 12/31 Washington State (54-61), 1/14 Arizona (56-58)
Coach: Scott Rueck (2 seasons at Oregon State)
Why They Can Surprise:
The Beavers best asset is 6-4 center Patricia Bright. The junior has quickly developed into a menace on both ends of the floor for the opposition. She is a superb shot blocker and everybody will think twice before trying to attack the basket against Bright. On the other end of the floor, she is a pretty consistent scorer in the paint. Her ability to score inside has opened up the offense for all of the guards. Earlysia Marchbanks and Ali Gibson will do a majority of the scoring. Marchbanks is a slasher who can do everything for her team. Gibson is more of a shooter, but she can use her 5-11 frame to battle in the paint. Alyssa Martin and Sage Indendi are not the most consistent outside shooters, but they do get some open looks when the opposing defense is overly worried about Bright in the paint and Marchbanks slashing to the basket.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Coach Bright does not have a lot of depth to work with. After the starting five, the production drops off quite a bit. Alexis Bostick is the lone substitute for all of the guards, but she will not provide much of an offensive spark. Thais Pinto and ShaKiana Edwards-Teasley will play beside Bright when OSU needs to play bigger, but they also have to handle about 18-20 minutes per game when Bright is on the bench. Bright does have a knack for getting into foul trouble while blocking all of those shots. When that happens, Pinto at 6-7, has to play up to her potential. The Brazilian obviously has size, but she is not the offensive threat that Bright has been this season. Edwards-Teasley may seem small in comparison, but at 6-2 she can certainly handle the five spot. However, most of her scoring will come from offensive rebounds. If Bright does get into early foul trouble, Oregon State will suffer on both ends of the floor.
Probable Starters:
Sage Indendi, Junior, Guard, 8.3 ppg, 2.5 apg
Alyssa Martin, Sophomore, Guard, 8.4 ppg, 2.1 apg, 4.1 rpg
Ali Gibson, Freshman, Guard, 12.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 4.0 rpg, 2.1 spg
Earlysia Marchbanks, Senior, Guard, 12.3 ppg, 3.8 apg, 7.2 rpg, 2.2 spg
Patricia Bright, Junior, Center, 8.9 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.4 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Alexis Bostick, Sophomore, Guard, 3.4 ppg, 1.8 apg
Thais Pinto, Junior, Center, 5.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg
ShaKiana Edwards-Teasley, Junior, Forward, 2.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 66.3 (94th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 58.5 (97, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.9 (31, 2)
Field-Goal Defense: 35.2 (27, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.7 (88, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 30.5 (143, 7)
Free-Throw Percentage: 66.2 (244, 7)
Rebound Margin: 1.8 (118, 6)
Assists Per Game: 14.3 (60, 2)
Turnovers Per Game: 15.7 (70, 5)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
Oregon State 2009 NIT Second Round win over Portland State
Oregon State 2009 NIT Third Round loss to New Mexico
Oregon State 2006 NIT Opening Round win over Santa Clara
Oregon State 2006 NIT First Round loss to Wyoming
Oregon State 2004 NIT First Round win over Gonzaga
Oregon State 2004 NIT Second Round win over Nebraska
Oregon State 2004 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Creighton
Oregon State 2003 NIT First Round win over UNLV
Oregon State 2003 NIT Second Round loss to Fresno State
Oregon State 2002 NIT First Round win over Hawaii
Oregon State 2002 NIT Second Round loss to Oregon
*all team stats through 3/1
See All Women’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
