A day in the life of Oregon State hoops
Freshman swing man Matija Samar’s versatility will be an important weapon for Wayne Tinkle’s Beavers this season (courtesy Dominic Cusimano)
CORVALLIS — The double-header was once a staple on the college basketball calendar. In the 1950s, venues such as Madison Square Garden or the Cow Palace in San Francisco regularly offered spectators two games for the price of one.
Save for special events such as the Jimmy V Classic, it doesn’t happen much anymore. But Beaver Nation got a twin bill to watch Friday when the men’s and women’s teams of Oregon State played host to a pair of opponents at Gill Coliseum.
One resulted in a blowout victory over an overmatched foe; the other a nail-biting win.
From your humble representative of the Fourth Estate, a look at both games:
Freshman southpaw Lara Alonso has been Oregon State’s leading scorer and rebounder through an exhibition game and regular-season game this season (courtesy Dominic Cusimano)
• OREGON STATE 86, CORBAN 45
This was an unfair fight in Oregon State’s regular-season opener. Corban is an NAIA school in Salem with about 1,000 students. OSU is Division I and the defending West Coast Conference tournament champion.
The Beavers, who led 26-7 after the first quarter, were bigger and better, playing only OK and still nearly doubling the Warriors’ score. OSU held a large advantage in points off turnovers (26-7), points in the paint (42-20), second-chance points (19-9), fast-break points (14-2) and bench scoring (46-13).
“Some of our best moments were when we adapted to (Corban’s defense) and the ball really moved,” said Scott Rueck, who has won 316 games in his 14-plus seasons as Oregon State’s coach. “When we had spacing and the ball went inside/out extra, it was beautiful basketball. Overall, I liked our effort. In a weird way, it was a fun adventure to navigate through the ups and downs of the game. It wasn’t perfect, but in the second half we settled in and did well.”
The Beavers shot poorly from 3-point range a year ago (.283), and it may be an Achilles heel again. They were 7 for 22 on 3’s Friday, and aside from Ally Schimel (3 for 7) and Tiara Bolden (2 for 5), they made just 2 of 10 attempts from distance.
Sophomore Ally Schimel, who was 3 for 7 from 3-point range against Corban, could be an important offensive weapon for the Beavers this season (courtesy Dominic Cusimano)
Defense, a trademark of OSU teams through much of the Rueck era, looks to be a strength. Corban made only 6 of 32 shots from the field and 2 of 10 from the 3-point line in the first half; the Warriors ended shooting .290 from the field and 7 for 22 from beyond the arc. Thirteen steals and 14 blocked shots by the Beavers helped create 21 Corban turnovers.
“Defense is the biggest change from a year ago,” said Rueck, who noted “the defensive intensity from Day One that this team is playing with consistency. A year ago, we didn’t know exactly what it took. This team started that way from the first day of practice.
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“While we are figuring out things on the offensive end, our defense is carrying us. We have a long way to go to where we are going to be, but we are off to a great start.”
Oregon State returns two starters — guards Bolden and Kennedie Shuler — along with key reserve Schimel and holdovers Cloe Vecina, Susana Yepes and Elisa Mehyar. Bolden (13 points, seven rebounds, six steals and three assists in a game-high 29 minutes) might be OSU’s most important player this season in the absence of small forward Cat Ferreira, lost for the season following knee surgery. Shuler (10 points, five rebounds, five assists and three blocks) is the floor leader.
There are 10 international players and six newcomers on this year’s team, including promising freshman
Lara Alonso. The 6-3 native of Spain, who led the Beavers with 20 points and seven rebounds in a 104-27 exhibition victory over Alaska-Fairbanks, had team highs in points (14) and boards (11) in 25 minutes off the bench against Corban. The southpaw forward wasn’t overly sharp — she was 4 for 12 from the field with four turnovers — but she grabbed six offensive rebounds, blocked three shots and didn’t look at all like a rookie.
“Lara is a natural center,” Rueck said. “It is what she has played her entire life. Not only is she learning to fit in and (negotiating the) language barrier, she is playing a new position at the same time. She is so smart. I am impressed with how quickly she picks things up.
“All of that is secondary to her natural feel for the game. She has a nose for the ball. She gets rebounds because of her awareness and her effort. She plays super hard. She can score from all three levels (close range, mid-range and long range). It is fun to watch her play.”
A year ago, Schimel was a walk-on from Corbett High, trying to make the transition from 3A prep ball to Division I college ball. She earned a scholarship, saw more minutes than any other reserve and played a key role on a championship team.
Now the 5-10 sophomore — granddaughter of former Trail Blazer Larry Steele — is a starter. After a freshman season in which she shot only .328 from the field and .275 from 3-point range, she is poised to make big jumps in both. Schimel missed her first five shots from the field but settled in and made 4 of her final 8 attempts, including three 3-balls.
“Last year, Ally was playing like, ‘Am I really supposed to shoot?’ ” Rueck told me. “You could see her wondering about those things until the big moments, when she was more willing to take that on.
“As soon as we started working individually last spring, it was, ‘You need to be capable of putting up 20 points. If that’s what the defense is going to give us, you have to have the mindset, my team needs that tonight.’ That’s the right way to play.”
A transfer from La Salle, Bolden was listed as a senior all last season, but appealed and gained an extra season of eligibility. The 5-11 Churchill High grad struggled with her shot a year ago, but was 3 for 4 from 3-point range in the exhibition and looks more comfortable shooting from the perimeter this season.
“Tiara has worked hard on becoming a catch-and-shoot player that is the perfect complement to her ability to put the ball on the floor with the kind of speed she possesses,” Rueck said. “She is determined to be a pro wing, and she has taken on that challenge.”
Bolden said the Beavers bonded almost instantly.
“When I met the (new) girls, it automatically felt like family, like I have known them for four or five years,” she said. “To be able to bond with them so fast is incredible. We all just mesh together. It has been super cool to have a lot of fresh new faces.”
Camaraderie is almost always a strength of a Rueck team.
“A team that gets along like that in this sport, which has such a long season, is mandatory,” he said. “What I have found is that international players in particular have a maturity to them. They are thousands of miles from home; it grows you up quickly. It’s been a joy to watch this team gel so quickly. We say that every year, but it has been another edition of that.”
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A sportswriter’s take:
If Bolden can hit the outside shot with more consistency this season, she will be an All-WCC performer. … I will be surprised if Alonso isn’t a candidate for WCC Freshman of the Year. … the best thing about Schimel’s game Friday was, even after missing her first five shots from the perimeter, she wasn’t reluctant to keep putting them up when she was open. She could wind up being OSU’s best weapon from beyond the arc this season … she is listed as a guard, but Jenna Villa plays the role of forward in the Beavers’ starting lineup alongside guards Bolden, Shuler and Schimel. The 6-1 senior transfer from Washington State didn’t do much stat-wise against Corban — two points, three rebounds, two blocks in 21 minutes — but she is athletic and will clearly be an important piece for the Beavers. Said Rueck: “Jenna is a great 3-point shooter and a really good player who had big games in some of Washington State’s biggest games.” … Shuler, a 5-10 junior from Barlow, may never be a consistent 3-point shooter, but she has a quick first step on her drive to the basket and is the Beavers’ best set-up passer. She also had three blocks on Friday. … Vecina, a 5-8 sophomore from Spain, scored eight points on 4-for-5 shooting with two assists and two steals in 16 minutes. She should be a capable backup to Shuler at the point … I like Rueck’s other two freshmen — Australian guards Keira Lindemans and Katelyn Field. Each scored five points in seven-minute stints against Corban. …Transfers Nene Sow and Lizzy Williamson shared post duties Friday. Sow, a 6-8 senior, is a native of Belgium who came to OSU from Utah. She grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots in 13 minutes. Williamson, a 6-5 senior, is an Australian who transferred from North Carolina State. The left-hander, who had 10 points and seven boards in 15 minutes off the bench, can score with either hand at the hoop. … All of OSU’s 14 squad members saw action except 6-foot junior Lucia Navarro, who is recovering from an ankle injury and is close to returning to action.
Senior transfer Jorge Diaz Graham was 3 for 3 and hit big shots in the clutch in the Beavers’ win over Illinois-Chicago (courtesy Dominic Cusimano)
• OREGON STATE 76, ILLINOIS-CHICAGO 73
Even without injured starting guard Elijah Crawford, the visiting Flames gave Wayne Tinkle’s troops all they could handle, the Beavers pulling out a close one for the second game in a row.
The Beavers started out on fire, knocking down five 3-pointers — their first four in a row — and jumping to a 20-4 lead in the game’s first seven minutes. Less than five minutes later, Illinois-Chicago led 21-20 after a 17-0 run.
It was a battle the rest of the way, with Oregon State taking a 42-37 lead at halftime, then building the difference to 46-37 early in the second half. The Flames chipped away and went in front 58-53 with nine minutes left. They were still on top 68-67 with three minutes to play, but the Beavers made big plays and free throws down the stretch. Junior guard Josiah Lake II and freshman wing Matija Samar each hit a pair at the line in the final 20 seconds, and UIC guard Ahmad Henderson missed a 3-pointer that could have tied it at the buzzer.
The Beavers shot well from the field (.471) and the foul line (.800) but not from 3-point range (.296 on 8 for 27). They hammered UIC on the boards (38-23) but committed 21 turnovers that led to 25 UIC points.
“There were a lot of disappointing things tonight,” said Tinkle, 162-190 in his 11-plus seasons at the OSU helm. “We had a chance to separate early in the game and didn’t do that. But if you turn it over 21 times on your homecourt and still get a win, that’s a good thing.”
Starting UIC center Ante Beljan played only five minutes, and the Flames went small but hustled and played physical.
“We thought we could have an advantage inside, but that wasn’t the case,” Tinkle said. “What we were lacking was toughness. (The Flames) out-toughed us. They punked us. They made us a little bit soft.”
Oregon State got a terrific performance from Lake, the 6-2 junior from Tualatin who came to the program two years ago as a walk-on. Lake poured in a career-high 22 points to go with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists in 35 minutes.
OSU’s two “bigs” played a key role in the victory. Johan Munch, a 6-10 sophomore out of Denmark, had nine points and 10 rebounds as the starting center. Jorge Diaz Graham, a 6-11 senior from Spain by way of Pittsburgh, came to the rescue down the stretch. Graham knocked down a go-ahead 3 with 4:12 to go, then followed with a baseline jumper to give the Beavers another lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. He was 3 for 3 from the field and scored seven points in 10 minutes.
“That’s one thing about Jorge — he competes,” Tinkle said. “He hit that big 3 without hesitating. He came in and gave us a boost. He stepped up for us big-time.”
Samar shot poorly — 2 for 8 from the field, including 1 for 6 from the 3-point line — but the 6-6 Slovenian contributed 11 points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists with no turnovers in 29 minutes.
“Matija impacted the game in a positive way,” Tinkle said. “He was efficient. He is a secondary ball-handler for us who can take a load off JoJo (Lake) by making some plays.”
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A sportswriter’s take:
Lake is Oregon State’s most valuable player, one who should be worthy of All-WCC mention. He does a little bit of everything. He is pound for pound the Beavers’ best rebounder, a good shooter and excellent foul shooter and perhaps their best perimeter defender. His steal with 54 seconds left and OSU nursing a 71-68 lead was critical. … Henderson, IUC’s 5-10, 145-pound point guard, was a pest defensively with seven steals to go with 18 points in 29 minutes. He twice picked Lake at midcourt in the first half. … Only three players return from OSU’s team of a year ago — Lake, forward Isaiah Sy and guard Ja’Quavis Williford, the latter who didn’t see action Friday. I thought returning starter Sy would play a key role again, but the 6-7 junior played only 12 minutes off the bench, making 1 of 5 shots — all from 3-point range — and scoring five points. The Beavers will need his shooting at times this season… Samar is athletic and savvy and will likely play a similar role to what Lithuanian Liutauras Lelevicius played a year ago. … the 6-11, 220-pound Munch looks much better and more mature than as a little-used freshman. He is listed as a forward but plays inside and rebounds and defends well … Tinkle went with a 2-3 zone through much of the second half, and it was effective. … Olavi Suutela, a 6-11 freshman forward from Finland, started and played 26 minutes, collecting seven points on 3-for-3 shooting to go with five boards. “For a freshman playing against a physical team like that, he did some good things,” Tinkle said. … Illinois-Chicago was only 9 for 31 from 3-point territory (.290), and four of the makes came on bank shots from the top. … Not sure what to think about transfer guards Dez White, a junior from Missouri State, and Keziah Ekissi, a sophomore from France by way of Howard. The 6-2 White started and scored seven points with two assists and three steals but four turnovers in 24 minutes. The 6-3 Ekissi scored six points with three assists and two turnovers in 24 minutes off the bench. With the Beavers ahead 71-68 and a little more than a minute left, Ekissi lost his dribble, the ball going out of bounds for a turnover. Those things can’t happen at such key times.
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