LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) - Oregon State has made itself right at home in Maui.
Aleah Goodman scored 22 points and Destiny Slocum added 17 to lead the eighth-ranked Beavers to a 93-45 win over Eastern Washington on Friday night in the Maui Jim Maui Classic. Oregon State improved to 5-0 in the third-year tournament it hosts.
“It was a good night for us, we got to grow a lot,” Beavers coach Scott Rueck said. “Tomorrow we play against a team that’s used to winning a lot of games, with a lot of talent.”
Oregon State will play Texas A&M on Saturday night.
“It will have a conference game feel,” Rueck said, “which we’re really excited about. A&M is a great program and so it’s going to take a great effort for us to get that ’W.’”
Mikayla Pivec had 14 points and Kat Tudor 12 for the Beavers (6-1). Oregon State shot 58 percent from the field, including 14 for 27 on 3-pointers.
Grace Kirscher scored 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting for Eastern Washington (1-7). The rest of the team shot 11 for 45 from the floor. The much-taller Beavers dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Eagles 40-23.
The score was tied 13-all after one quarter before Slocum scored nine points in Oregon State’s 23-4 run over the first 8:46 of the second. Alissa Sealby had a three-point play and Krischer hit a 3-pointer to pull Eastern Washington within 13 at halftime.
“We hung tough for a quarter, you know, they weren’t making 3s the way they’re capable of making 3s,” Easterm Washington coach Wendy Schuller said. “I thought our kids came out and really tried to stick to what the game plan was early, but in the second quarter Oregon State got going on some 3.
“That’s why they’re a great team. They’re one of the best teams in the country. They’re long and they can guard, but they also are so potent offensively.”
Slocum then scored five during the Beavers’ 14-4 run that pushed their lead to 24 with 3:48 left in the third. A 12-4 spurt pushed the advantage to 29 heading to the fourth, and Oregon State outscored the Eagles 26-7 over the final 10 minutes.
“I was impressed by Eastern tonight - their game plan was good,” Rueck said. “It was real competitive early and then we got into our rhythm. When that ball started moving, shots started falling. I liked the way our defense impacted them all night tonight.”The third-year tournament is played at the Lahaina Civic Center, the same floor where the Maui Invitational men’s tournament is played.
BIG PICTURE
Oregon State: The Beavers won their sixth game of the season by at least 25 points. They beat South Carolina by two points and Western Kentucky by 14, while losing to Notre Dame by 10. OSU is now 5-0 all-time in the three-year-old Maui Jim Maui Classic tournament it hosts.
Eastern Washington: The Eagles’ win came over Eastern Oregon of the NAIA. All of EWU’s losses have been by double digits.
TURNING POINT
The Beavers led 18-17 with just over 7 minutes left in the in the second quarter when Kat Tudor made a layup to spark an 18-0 run that blew the game open.
STAT OF THE NIGHT
Oregon State shot 19 for 26 (73.1 percent) in the second half, including 7 for 10 from 3-point range.
UP NEXT
Oregon State: The competition ramps up significantly Saturday on the final day of the tournament when the Beavers play Texas A&M.
Eastern Washington: Plays UC Riverside Saturday in the third-place game.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.