CORVALLIS – Mikayla Pivec had 18 points and 17 rebounds and No. 7 Oregon State dug down defensively Monday night to pull out a 69-57 win over Pacific in the preseason WNIT quarterfinals at Gill Coliseum.
The Beavers (2-0) advance to the WNIT semifinals, where they’ll face No. 18 DePaul at 7 p.m. Thursday at Gill.
Oregon State struggled for most of the game against Pacific’s defense, which forced 23 turnovers. But the Beavers countered with a solid defensive performance, as Pacific shot 34 percent from the floor.
Destiny Slocum and Aleah Goodman scored 17 apiece for the Beavers.
Junior forward Brooklyn McDavid poured in 32 points to lead Pacific (1-1).
Oregon State led 34-24 at halftime following a first half that evolved into a defensive slugfest.
Goodman got hot early, hitting three three-pointers during the first five minutes as the Beavers zipped to an 18-10 lead. But offense was difficult the rest of the half, as the Beavers scored only seven baskets during the final 15 minutes. Oregon State shot 54 percent during the first half, but committed 15 turnovers.
But OSU picked it up on the defensive end. Pacific was unable to get untracked outside of McDavid, who scored 18 first-half points.
Oregon State’s offense became a little more aggressive during the third quarter. It paid off as Pacific sent the Beavers to the free throw line 12 times. Still, OSU had trouble shaking the Tigers, leading 52-43 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Beavers scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter to take their biggest lead of the game at 59-43. Pacific made it interesting down the stretch, cutting the lead to eight with less than three minutes left before OSU closed out the win.
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-- Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
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