CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - Oregon State coach Scott Rueck said he blasted his team at halftime after a stretch of sloppy play, even though the Beavers were in the middle of their second straight blowout win.
“I always tell them, ’I don’t care what the scoreboard says.’ I’m not here to coach to a scoreboard. I’m here to coach them and to help them become great. Well, we’re far from that. We have so much room to grow,” Rueck said.
Destiny Slocum had 12 points with four 3-pointers and added 10 assists and No. 8 Oregon State overpowered Santa Clara 82-31 on Sunday.
“I think our defense has been really good lately, and when I think our defense is flowing, our offense is flowing. And I think we’re passing up a good shot for a great shot,” Slocum said.
Kat Tudor had 14 points, also making four 3-pointers, and seven rebounds, and Madison Washington had a career-high 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Beavers (7-1).
Ashlyn Herlihy scored 10 points and had four steals, and Tia Hay had seven points and three steals for the Broncos (5-3).
“This game is a learning experience,” said Santa Clara coach Bill Carr, who said his goal for the squad is postseason play. “You come in and you play a top 10 team and you see where you are.”
Oregon State shot 54 percent, including 12 for 27 on 3-pointers, and the Beavers’ swarming defense limited Santa Clara to 18.3 percent from the floor. Many of the shots against the Broncos’ zone defense were wide open for Oregon State, which had 27 assists on 33 field goals.
The Beavers also outrebounded the Broncos 63-16.
Oregon State took control with a 19-0 run spanning the end of the first quarter and the start of the second. The surge was fueled by five 3-pointers, and Oregon State led 42-15 with 6:28 left in the half.
The Beavers led 50-20 at the break, and limited the Broncos to just 11 points in the second half.
BIG PICTURE
Santa Clara: Hay, a junior college transfer from Salt Lake Community College, came into the game leading the Broncos in scoring at 13.6 points per game. She’s the only player on the squad averaging in double figures.
Oregon State: Washington, a junior post, made her second start of the season, and her second in a row. In her previous start, against La Salle, she scored eight points and grabbed nine rebounds. … Starting wing Mikayla Pivec only had seven points, but she had 13 rebounds. COMFORT ZONE: Washington said she felt comfortable out on the floor thanks to her teammates. “You look at what we have on the three point line, trust me, you’d feel comfortable, too. They create so much space,” she added.
STARTING POST
Rueck said he’d continue to decide the starter at center on a game-to-game basis. “We’ve never done it this way. It’s an interesting thing, not only for us, but for our opponents to prepare for,” Rueck said.
UP NEXT
Santa Clara: At Fresno State on Wednesday.
Oregon State: Vs. Eastern Washington in Maui Classic on Friday.
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