Oregon State, which cracked the women's basketball top 25 this week for the first time in three years, appears ready for more.
Freshman Donovyn Hunter scored a career-high 16 points and the Beavers' defense fought back in the final three quarters as Oregon State defeated No. 3 Colorado 68-62 on Friday night at Gill Coliseum.
Oregon State (16-3, 5-3 Pac-12) earned its first win over a top-25 opponent this season. It's the Beavers' first win over a top-five team since OSU's win over No. 2 Oregon in 2019.
Oregon State's defense moved forward after Colorado got going early. After going 11 of 18 from the floor, the Buffaloes made eight of their final 30 shots. During one stretch of the second and third quarters, Colorado (16-3, 6-2) missed 12 consecutive shots.
Hunter, who scored six of six from the floor in the first half, also dished out four assists. Junior guard Talia von Oelhoffen also scored 16 points while AJ Marotte had 10.
The loss knocked Colorado out of a duel with Stanford for first place in the Pac-12 standings. Oregon State sits two games out of first place near the halfway point of the conference season.
Jaylyn Sherrod led Colorado with 19 points.
Oregon State led 32-30 at halftime after the first half ended on a high note.
Colorado went into turmoil late in the first quarter, using a 9-0 run to take a 20-14 lead. The Buffaloes extended their lead to 28-18 on a jump shot from Quay Miller 6:19 before halftime.
It was Colorado's final field goal of the half, as the Buffaloes missed their final nine shots. Oregon State, led by Hunter, suddenly began to boil. Hunter hit three layups through Colorado's defense, setting the stage for a 10-0 run as the Beavers tied the game at 28-28. OSU finished the half making 9 of 11 shots.
Most of the third quarter was a fumbling offense for both teams. Oregon State knocked down two three-pointers from Hunter and Marotte for much of the quarter and maintained the lead while Colorado struggled to score. The Beavers led 46-40 after three games.
Oregon State appeared to be able to maintain control in the fourth quarter. The Beavers, leading 59-51 with 2:30 left, had to fend off a desperate Colorado rally that never materialized. The Buffaloes got within four points, but OSU coolly closed the game with nine free throws in the final 69 seconds.
– Nick Daschel reported from Corvallis.
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