Fueled by a dominant postseason appearance, the No. 3 Oregon State women’s basketball team overcame No. 2 Notre Dame to win an NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchup 70-65 on Friday at MVP Arena in Albany, New York.
This is the Beavers’ third trip to the Elite Eight in program history and first in a year removed from a 13–18 season since 2018. The Beavers will face No. 1 South Carolina at 10 a.m. Sunday.
“I thought it was a great representation of who we are,” Oregon State coach Scott Rueck said. “I thought, it showed every aspect of us. It wasn’t always perfect, but we found a way. That’s what this team has done all year because we’ve grown together so quickly. Who would have thought before this year that We’ll be sitting here? Of course, there aren’t that many people out on this stage and in the locker room.”
Leading by two with less than a minute remaining, Regan Bears scored 18th A layup with 26 seconds remaining gave OSU a four-point lead, and a clutch block by Talia von Oelhoffen on Notre Dame’s 3-point attempt and subsequent free throw sealed the victory for the Beavers.
Oregon State overcame 26 turnovers to win and had only five Irish turnovers, shooting 60.4% from the field to Notre Dame’s 35.6%. The Beavers’ minus-21 turnover discrepancy set an NCAA Tournament record for worst in a tournament win.
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The Bears finished with 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, and Timea Gardiner led the Beavers by scoring a team-high 21 points with 11 rebounds. That duo helped Oregon State dominate Notre Dame on the glass, winning the rebound battle 42–24.
“When you have a guy like (Bearce), someone who has not only strength and size, but also agility and hands, you’re playing through that guy,” Rueck said. “There was a time when I thought we often missed him early, where we were like, just give him the ball, (make him) play, but you give them credit for making it difficult for him. Luckily we had a lot of “There’s other things we can do. Lily (Hunsford) hit big threes, Timea was unbelievable. She did what she does. (Donovin Hunter) made some big shots and Talia made plays for us.”
Notre Dame star freshman Hannah Hidalgo, who averaged nearly 23 points per game in the Sweet 16 matchup, scored just 10 points on 4 of 17 shooting from the floor. Sonia Citron led the Irish with 22 points and Maddie Westbeld added 19 points.
In a back-and-forth first half, Oregon State dominated Notre Dame on the glass with a 23–9 rebound advantage, but had only two second-chance points and allowed 14 points off 12 turnovers. Despite shooting 57.7% from the field compared to the Irish’s 36.4%, the Beavers led 32–31.
The Bears had 12 points on 6 of 7 shooting with seven rebounds at the halftime break, nearly surpassing Notre Dame. Gardiner added nine points in the first half with four rebounds, while Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron came out hot and scored a team-high 11 points in the first half.
The Beavers then started the second half with plenty of buckets from Bears and Gardiner, taking a double-digit lead less than three minutes into the third quarter.
The Irish finally mounted a comeback to take the lead 59–57 with 4:19 left in the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Donovin Hunter and Lily Hansford helped the Beavers retake the lead, which they would never relinquish at MVP Arena en route to an Elite Eight Sunday matchup against undefeated South Carolina, which defeated Indiana. .
“We always believed in ourselves and what we could do, and a lot of people didn’t know what we could do,” Gardiner said. “We came in, we had nothing to lose, so we came in, we play our game, we play Oregon State basketball and we demonstrated that tonight, and we’re not done yet.”
Read our updates from the game below.
Final: No. 3 Oregon State 70, No. 2 Notre Dame 65
Talia von Oelhoffen blocked a 3-point attempt with 18 seconds remaining and hit two clutch free throws to give the Beavers a late six-point advantage, and OSU went on to upset Notre Dame in the Sweet 16, 70–65. Tried to move forward. Their third Elite Eight in program history.
Timea Gardiner scored a team-high 21 points with 11 rebounds and Regan Byers had 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Beavers. Notre Dame was led by Sonia Citron’s 22 points and seven rebounds, with Maddie Westbeld adding 19 points. Star freshman Hannah Hidalgo scored 10 points on just 4 of 17 shooting from the floor.
Regan Bearse’s layup gave OSU a 4-point lead with 26 seconds remaining
The Oregon State women’s basketball team leads Notre Dame 67–63 with 26 seconds remaining, after back-to-back 3-pointers from Donovin Hunter and Lily Hansford and a layup from Regan Byers. Bearse had 18 points and 13 rebounds and Timea Gardiner had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Notre Dame takes possession after a timeout.
Beavers hanging on slim move down the vibe
With 4:58 left in the game, Oregon State leads Notre Dame 57–56. The Beavers have turned the ball over 23 times to three times the Irish, and Notre Dame has 24 points off those turnovers. Timea Gardiner has a team-high 20 points while Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron leads the way with 21 points.
End 3Q: Oregon State 53, Notre Dame 50
Notre Dame fought all the way to tie it before a Timea Gardiner 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer gave Oregon State a slight lead heading into the fourth. Regan Byers and Gardiner combined for 32 points with 19 rebounds.
Notre Dame was led by Sonia Citron and Maddie Westbeld with 17 points each, and Anna DeWolfe had 10 points. The Irish had 18 points on 17 OSU turnovers.
Beavers maintain lead in first media timeout of second half
Oregon State leads Notre Dame 48–42 with 4:11 to play in the third quarter. Notre Dame took a double-digit lead behind Sonia Citron and Maddie Westbeld combined for 28 points and 16 points off 14 OSU turnovers.
Beavers started the second half with a big score
Oregon State came out strong, leading Notre Dame 43–33 with 7:19 to play in the third quarter. The Beavers started the second half with an 11-2 run led by quick points from Regan Byers and Timea Gardiner. Both of them together have scored 27 points. OSU is shooting over 60% from the field, nearly double Notre Dame’s 36.1%.
Half: Oregon State 32, Notre Dame 31
Despite 12 turnovers, Oregon State led Notre Dame by one at the half. The Beavers are shooting 57.7% from the field and holding the Irish to 36.4%, but have allowed 14 points off of turnovers by the Irish. OSU leads Notre Dame 23–9, but has only two second-chance points.
Regan Byers had a game-high 12 points and seven rebounds while Timea Gardiner added nine points and four boards of her own. Notre Dame led Sonia Citron with 11 points and Maddie Westbeld had nine but three fouls. Star freshman guard Hannah Hidalgo had only six points on 2-of-8 shooting and spent a good portion of the second quarter having to remove a nose ring due to NCAA rules.
Irish lead 7-0 at first half
After a three-minute scoring drought from OSU, Notre Dame took a 29–25 lead after a 7–0 run with 2:45 remaining to play in the first half. Sonia Citron broke loose and led the Irish with nine points along with Maddie Westbeld. Oregon State already has 11 turnovers and the Irish have 12 points off turnovers.
Beavers hold small lead midway through second quarter
With 5:51 left in the first half, Oregon State led 25–22. While star Notre Dame point guard Hannah Hidalgo dealt with a nose ring on the sideline for half of the second quarter, the Beavers were unable to break away. Notre Dame has eight points off seven OSU turnovers, while Oregon State is shooting 57% from the floor, led by Regan Bearse’s 10 points.
End 1Q: Oregon State 17, Notre Dame 15
Regan Byers scored six consecutive points and Lily Hansford added a 3-pointer to give Oregon State a 17–15 lead at the first quarter break. Oregon State is shooting 50% from the field while Notre Dame is shooting 42.9%. The Bears already have a game-high eight points and five rebounds while Notre Dame is led by Maddie Westbeld’s seven points. Notre Dame has four rebounds as a team.
Beavers and Irish go back and forth quickly
At the first media timeout with 3:06 left in the first quarter, the Beavers trailed the Irish 10–8. Oregon State already has six offensive rebounds but only two second-chance points against the shorthanded Notre Dame lineup, but the Irish are shooting 55.6% from the field.
Timea Gardiner had six points early for the Beavers while the Irish were led by four points each from Hannah Hidalgo and Maddie Westbeld.
Starters announced for Sweet 16 matchup
For Oregon State: G – Donovin Hunter (6.6 ppg); G – AJ Marotte (5.3 ppg); G – Talia von Oelhoffen (10.9 ppg); F – Regan Bears (17.5 ppg); F – Timea Gardiner (11.4 ppg)
For Notre Dame: G – Hannah Hidalgo (22.9 ppg); G – Sonia Citron (17.1 ppg); G – Anna DeWolfe (8.6 ppg); F – Natalija Marshall (5.1 ppg); F – Maddie Westbeld (14.2 ppg)
Game time has been set for Oregon State women’s basketball vs. Notre Dame
The NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 game between Oregon State and Notre Dame is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday inside MVP Arena in Albany, New York. It will air on ESPN.
Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. you can reach it [email protected] And you can follow him on @AlecDietz,
