Four in a row

For the first time since 2000-2001, the Oregon State women's basketball program has won four consecutive conference games.

The Beavers (15-7, 6-5 Pac-12) defeated the University of Utah 62-49 in front of 1,429 people at Gill Coliseum Saturday.

The win followed Thursday's 20-point blowout of Colorado.

The Beavers haven't lost since Jan. 9, when they fell to UCLA.

"Four wins in a row, it's nice to have our efforts rewarded on the scoreboard, and it demonstrates the growth of our program and the growth of our team," head coach Scott Rueck said. "I'm really happy with the way we are competing every possession, and we are putting 40-minute games together."

Senior forward Earlysia Marchbanks played a crucial role in maintaining the Oregon State lead throughout the game's entirety. Marchbanks scored a career-high 22 points, pulled down 10 boards and added five steals.

Her initial six points and two steals in the opening two minutes set a spark to the gym and left the Utes scratching their heads early on.

"Baskets were coming easy, and all week long Coach told me if I get the rebound I can go, so I went and easy buckets came, and then my teammates were open," Marchbanks said.

The Beavers' patient, work-it-inside offense paid off, as 46 of their 62 points came from inside the key.

"We felt like we could get to the paint," Rueck said. "We were hoping to draw some fouls, too. We wanted to attack the entire game and we did; fortunately, we made enough to pull away from them."

The Beavers led 26-11 midway through the first half, and at that point it looked like the route was on. But the Utes were resilient and trimmed the OSU lead to four by the half.

Oregon State scored 16 of the first 19 second-half points and kept a comfortable margin between themselves and Utah from that point forward.

Junior Sage Indendi joined Marchbanks in double-figures, while three other players had at least eight points. Junior Patricia Bright blocked seven Utah shots.

Many of the questions surrounding the "program in transition" can be temporarily put on the backburner, with the spotlight pointed toward a program that is focused on the present.

"We are worried about the next possession; every night is a war," Rueck said. "I know Utah is a great program and they have incredible history, so every win is great, so it's great to beat Utah."

The Beavers are locked in a tie with Arizona State University for fifth in the conference standings. They trail Stanford by five games, but trail second-place Cal by only two games.

The team's motivation going forward is interpreted as intrinsic.

"They (the players) are starting to believe what we are capable of, and I am really happy for this team and what they are accomplishing, and their growth in every way."

Jacob Shannon, sports writer

Twitter: @shannon_app

sports@dailybarometer.com