UC Riverside Highlanders at Oregon State Beavers

No. 9 Oregon State beats UC Riverside 86-65

"Luckily, they were falling," she said.

Wiese had 22 points, nine rebounds and five assists to help No. 9 Oregon State beat UC Riverside 86-65.

The junior guard hit five 3-pointers to add to her school career record, which now stands at 214. Ruth Hamblin added 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks for Oregon State (3-0).

The Beavers' first two wins were blowouts, but Oregon State trailed in the second quarter and led only 47-42 at the break on Sunday.

Wiese said coach Scott Rueck challenged players at halftime and asked how they would respond to adversity.

The result was a 16-0 run in the third quarter.

"I liked the fight we needed to have today to win. I like the composure that this team played with when we were challenged," Rueck said.

Rejane Verin had 25 points, eight rebounds and four steals and Annelise Ito scored 13 points for the Highlanders (2-2).

Oregon State out-rebounded UC Riverside 42-24 and shot 56.4 percent, compared to 39.1 percent for the Highlanders.

"I think that early in the year, as long as you can stay in the game, you can learn something from it. ... We competed for as long as we could," coach John Margaritis said.

The Beavers took a 9-0 lead early, scoring both inside and outside. But UC Riverside tied it at 11, thanks in part to steals that led to 3-pointers on consecutive possessions.

The fast-paced first quarter ended with the Beavers up 31-27 and shooting nearly 86 percent from the floor. The Highlanders shot nearly 65 percent in the first quarter.

UNIQUE OFFENSE: Rueck said UC Riverside executes a rare five-player motion offense where players are interchangeable. "It's not scripted, so you have to do a great job defensively," he said. The Highlanders shot 46.9 percent in the first half before being held to 31.3 percent in the second half. "The defense just hit a different gear," Rueck said.

PAC-12 APPLICATION: UC Riverside has already played two games against Pac-12 Conference foes, and Oregon, Washington and UCLA remain on the Highlanders' schedule. "I guess we should apply for the Pac-12, huh?" joked Margaritis.

VERIN GOOD: Margaritis said that Verin, a UNLV transfer who is leading his team in scoring, was no surprise to him. "I still think she has so much room for improvement that eventually she'll be a very unique player for us, a very good player," he said.

TIP INS

Oregon State: In their first two games, the Beavers' average margin of victory was a whopping 54.5 points. ... Oregon State is 30-3 in its last 33 games at Gill Coliseum. ... The Beavers won their first Pac-12 crown last year, finishing 27-5. This year, the Beavers were picked to win the conference again.

UC Riverside: The Highlanders lost 64-58 on Friday to No. 21 California, and led for much of the game before fading late. ... UC Riverside went 17-14 last year, finishing sixth in the Big West Conference. This season, the Highlanders are picked to finish second in the conference.

UP NEXT

Oregon State travels to the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico and faces Hofstra on Friday.

UC Riverside plays at UTEP on Friday.

How can I watch Highlanders vs. Beavers?

• TV Channel: Highlanders vs Beavers 2021 College Basketball, week 2, is broadcasted on .
• Online streaming: Sign up for Fubo.

Location: Corvallis, OR
Attendance: 2,707 | Capacity: