Hunter and von Oelhoffen help No. 25 Oregon State defeat No. 3 Colorado 68-62

By GARY HOROWITZ
Associated Press

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Donovyn Hunter and Talia von Oelhoffen each scored 16 points to lead No. 25 Oregon State to a 68-62 victory over No. 3 Colorado on Friday night.

Raegan Beers, Oregon State’s leading scorer, had just six points but grabbed a team-high eight rebounds for the Beavers (16-3, 5-3 Pac-12), who improved to 13-0 at Gill Coliseum. Oregon State had three close losses on the road against teams ranked in the top 10 this season before defeating Colorado.

“This was just a great environment and it’s really easy to play passionately in front of the crowds that we get in front of Beaver Nation,” von Oelhoffen said. “I’m proud of this group.”

The women’s team pulled off a big win less than 24 hours after Oregon State men’s squad upset No. 9 Arizona.

“This game today got us to a different level in the progression we’ve been on through conference so far,” Oregon State coach Scott Rueck said. “We’re getting better and better, and it kind of just all came together today against a very good team that expects to win.”

Jaylynn Sherrod led the Buffaloes (16-3, 6-2) with 19 points before fouling out. Her 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left cut the lead to 66-62, but Colorado could not get closer.

Aaronette Vonleh, Colorado’s leading scorer, was in foul trouble most of the game and finished with 12 points.

Colorado, which faced its fourth straight ranked opponent, fell one game behind No. 6 Stanford in the conference standings.

“Of course we wanted to win this game, but we’ll watch the film and be a better basketball team by tomorrow afternoon because of the experience we had tonight,” Colorado coach JR Payne said. “I think Oregon State’s really good.”

A key call in the game came in the final second of the third quarter when Vonleh was called for an intentional foul on von Oelhoffen’s half-court heave with one-tenth of a second left on the clock. After an official review, von Oelhoffen was awarded three free throws and she converted them all, giving the Beavers a 46-40 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.

Von Oelhoffen’s 3-pointer increased the lead to 53-45 with 7:29 remaining.

Oregon State, which trailed by 10 midway through the second quarter, closed the first half on a 14-2 run to take a 32-30 lead at the break.

Hunter scored 12 first-half points on 6-of-6 shooting to pace the Beavers. Frida Formann led the Buffaloes with 11.

BIG PICTURE

Colorado: The Buffaloes, who opened the season with a win over defending national champion LSU, remain formidable despite two losses in their last three games.

Oregon State: The Beavers, who were a Final Four team in 2016, are well on their way to making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Depth is among Oregon State’s major strengths.

UP NEXT

Colorado: The Buffaloes will be at Oregon on Sunday.

Oregon State: The Beavers will host No. 16 Utah on Sunday.

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