OSU women upset Baylor 72-67 in NCAA Sweet 16

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – Marie Gulich had 26 points, Kat Tudor added 16 and sixth-seeded Oregon State shot 58 percent in the second half to upset No. 2 seed Baylor 72-67 on Friday night in the women’s NCAA Tournament Lexington Region semifinal.

Two years after upsetting Baylor in the Elite Eight, Oregon State (26-7) followed up with a steady performance that ended the Lady Bears’ 30-game winning streak. The Beavers had to withstand nine consecutive points by Alexis Morris that got the Lady Bears (33-2) to 69-67 with 42 seconds remaining before Katie McWilliams’ left-corner 3-pointer provided a five-point edge.

Morris missed two 3s and Natalie Chou another in the final 10 seconds for Baylor, which shot just 39 percent and was edged 38-37 on the glass.

Gulich made 10 of 17 from the field and had nine rebounds for OSU, which won for the 10 time in 11 contests. Tudor was 5 of 10 shooting and 4 of 8 from long range as the Beavers made 9 of 20 from behind the arc.

Kalani Brown had 19 points and 10 rebounds for Baylor, which was outscored in all but the second quarter in losing for the first time since falling 68-62 at UCLA in November.

BIG PICTURE

Oregon State: The Beavers weren’t intimidated by Baylor’s winning streak or size, working around the latter with crisp passing for good looks and controlling the boards throughout. Gulich thrived in both cases, hitting mid-range shots and the boards. Perimeter shooting was the difference, with Tudor and Corosdale combining for seven 3-pointers on 13 attempts. McWilliams’ late 3 was the difference.

Baylor: Just as the Lady Bears seemed to find their rhythm with Brown, they steadily fell apart after halftime and never found consistency. Making just 3 of 17 from long range didn’t help, but being outrebounded after entering with a plus-26.5 margin was the biggest shortcoming for a team that had been dominant since early November.

UP NEXT

Oregon State faces the Stanford-Louisville winner in Sunday’s regional championship.