Oregon State women’s basketball coach Scott Rueck sat at the podium with guard Jamie Weisner. Both looked stunned. It was Jan. 4 and their Beaver team had just suffered a 20 point loss to UCLA, then – and still – by far their largest of the season.
Guard Sydney Wiese was not sitting on the podium that day. It was during an eight-game stretch where she was sidelined with an injury. It wasn’t the best time for her to be out. The game had been decided largely by a defensive onslaught from the Bruin backcourt.
Sophomore guard Jordin Canada and senior guard Nirra Fields blitzed the Beaver guards throughout the game. Wiese watched as her team looked totally unprepared and outmatched by the fiery Bruins.
“I don’t know how you measure (Wiese being out),” Rueck said after the game. “It was obviously an immense loss, especially in this game, against this type of team and this talented of a team.”
The No. 12 Bruins (19-6, 11-3) have won eight out of their last nine games and have climbed five spots in the national rankings during that period. The Bruins are also third in the Pac-12, which is considered by many to be the nation’s best conference. Ahead of them, however, is a No. 7 Beaver team (22-3, 13-1) that they upended back in early January.
“Oregon State is the top team, there’s no question about it right now,” said coach Cori Close. “They are playing the best basketball (in the conference) and they’re the one everyone is chasing at this point.”
Since that original meeting, Oregon State has dominated. They have key wins against Oregon and Stanford, and handled No. 9 Arizona State on national television. Wiese’s return has made their offense look especially well built, resembling their form that won the conference last season.
“She’s definitely the motor to their offense and their team,” Fields said.
Their meeting on Sunday will involve less pressure for OSU freshman guard Katie McWilliams, who looked overwhelmed while filling in for Wiese in the first meeting. Though Wiese is back in the lineup, the goal for the Bruins is to repeat that defensive performance.
“I think that McWilliams is just a younger version of Sydney Wiese in terms of (being a) big guard and we’re going to have to make them play off the bounce, but we’re going to have to at the same time keep them in front of us,” Close said. “The game plan doesn’t really change at all, but the reality of how good Sydney Wiese is, that’s going to add a dimension and we’re going to have to be a little bit better.”
The Beavers are stacked with talent aside from just Wiese. They have the reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in center Ruth Hamblin and another talented guard in Weisner.
“They utilize all their assets on the court and they all know each other’s strengths and they play off of that,” said sophomore forward Monique Billings.
Oregon State is not the only tough test that UCLA faces this weekend. It will open the trip Friday against Oregon, which has won eight of its last nine games.
The series will be especially valuable for the Bruins. With four games left, they are ranked tenth in the nation by the selection committee, with the top 16 teams hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
A sweep of the Oregon schools would put the team in position to host, while splitting the series would keep UCLA in contention. Being swept would hurt, especially with a tough rematch against ASU looming the following week.
“There’s little room for error,” Billings said. “Everything has to be on point and sharp, especially at this time of the season just because because every game is critical and the wins are critical.”