Upset bid falls short at the buzzer

The Oregon State women’s basketball team was unable to hold on to its lead against No. 6 California in the 58-56 loss Sunday afternoon.

Oregon State’s (9-19, 3-13 Pac-12) 12-point lead coming out of the first half slowly melted away in the second half as Cal (25-2, 14-1) stepped up its defensive pressure.

With just under 6:01 left in the game, the Golden Bears knocked down a jumper to regain the lead for the first time since their two-point lead at the beginning of the first half. Both teams continued to battle back and forth.

However, turnovers and foul trouble plagued the Beavers down the stretch and allowed the Golden Bears to extend their lead to six points with 3:37 left in the game.

Sophomore guard Ali Gibson quickly responded with a 3-pointer to keep the Beavers in the game as they continued to fight.

With 30 seconds left and the Golden Bears up by two, freshman guard Jamie Weisner grabbed a missed Cal free throw and the Beavers headed down for one last shot.

As the clock wound down to seven seconds, senior forward ShaKiana Edwards-Teasley had a look on a baseline jumper, but it fell in and out. Oregon State was unable to grab the rebound for a quick put-back before the buzzer sounded.

The first half, however, was all Oregon State. In their last few games, the Beavers have struggled to get points on the board early, but that was not the case on Sunday. It was raining 3-pointers for the guards as the Beavers were 6-for-12 from behind the arc in the first half.

Defensively, Oregon State held the Bears to 27 percent from the field in the first half and only allowed seven offensive rebounds to a team that thrives on second-chance points, and is second in the conference in offensive rebounds.

Senior guard Mollee Schwegler provided a spark for the Beavers off the bench, having one of her best games this season. Although she was responsible for six of the team’s 16 turnovers, her defense prevented Cal from several fast break opportunities. Schwegler had 15 points on the night.

Weisner continues to provide the Beavers with a consistent effort with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds against the Bears.

Oregon State showed its determination in what is a mostly-lost season all the way through the end of the game, and fell just short of upsetting No. 6 Cal.