No. 13 Oregon State outlasts No. 18 Colorado in Pac-12 tournament's first (and possibly last) 2OT game
The Pac-12 women's basketball tournament saw its first ever double-overtime game. And also possibly its last.
No. 13 Oregon State, the fourth seed of the tournament, outlasted No. 18 Colorado in the quarterfinal in Las Vegas on Thursday, defeating them 85-79 after 50 minutes of play. The Beavers will advance to face the winner of the game between top seed Stanford and eighth seed Cal later Thursday.
It was a game that will leave Colorado with some thinking to do as it prepares for the NCAA tournament. The Buffaloes took double-digit leads in both the second and fourth quarters. They were up 50-38 with 7:30 remaining in regulation, then yielded a 13-0 run that left them needing to fight just to reach overtime.
The moment that ultimately spelled doom for Colorado came early in the second overtime, when All-Pac-12 center Aaronette Vonleh fouled out. Oregon State outscored them 12-4 over the next three minutes.
Vonleh had 20 points, four rebounds, three assists and two blocks, while fellow All-Pac-12 selection Jaylyn Sherrod had 23 points, seven assists, six rebounds, four steals ... and seven turnovers. Oregon State had the advantage in the paint, with the all-conference duo of Raegan Beers and Timea Gardiner combining for 40 points and 24 rebounds.
The win closes out a victorious trilogy for Oregon State, which beat Colorado twice during the regular season, with Colorado ranked in the top five at the time of both games. They were less successful against their likely next opponent in Stanford, going 0-2 with a combined margin of 13 points.
