Feb. 1, 2011

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LOOKING AHEAD — Oregon State (7-13, 0-9 Pac-10) heads to the Palouse to face the Washington State Cougars (5-16, 3-6 Pac-10) on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. to open up the second round of Pac-10 play.

TRACKING THE BEAVS — Full results from Thursday’s game can be found through osubeavers.com. Gametracker is available, and all but two home games (Jan. 8 - Washington State; Jan. 27 - California) will also be streamed live for free through osubeavers.com. And as always, for in-game updates, follow OregonStateWBB on Twitter.

GAME 21: WASHINGTON STATE — Thursday, Feb. 3 (7:00 p.m.): Oregon State is 44-23 all-time against the Cougars. Washington State broke the Beavers’ three-game winning streak in the last meeting to hold a one-game series advantage.

LAST TIME AROUND (JAN. 8, 2011) — Washington State squeaked by with an eight-point victory over the Beavers, 58-50, on Saturday, Jan. 8. Senior El Sara Greer earned her first Pac-10 double-double of the season with a team-high 15 points on 75 percent shooting (6 of 8) and game-high 14 rebounds (6-8), while redshirt sophomore Sage Indendi added 14 points and a career-high seven assists.

REWIND TO THE LAST GAME — Junior Earlysia Marchbanks scored a career-high 19 points, but the Oregon State women’s basketball team fell to No. 4 Stanford, 74-44. Marchbanks added six rebounds and a pair of steals. Senior El Sara Greer tallied a game-high 10 rebounds, wile freshman Alyssa Martin earned a career-high five assists.

SEEKING 300 — Head coach Scott Rueck is just five wins away from earning his 300th career. He achieved his first 288 at George Fox in his 14 seasons as head coach.

GREER BLOCKS IN THE BOOKS — Senior forward El Sara Greer is already tied for third all-time for the most blocks in a single season, bypassing names such as Carol Menken, Tiffany Ducker and Sissel Pierce. Greer has 69 total so far on the season and is on pace to break the school record of 85 set by Sissel Pierce during the 1999-00 season. Currently, Greer leads the Pac-10 in blocked shots, while being ranked seventh nationally. Last season, Greer only had 22 blocked shots.

MARTIN AND INDENDI MAKE THEIR MARK FROM BEYOND THE ARC — Freshman guard Alyssa Martin broke into the single season top 10 for most made three-pointers at USC on Jan. 15. Martin has 47 so far on the season, good for eighth. Redshirt sophomore guard Sage Indendi also has 47.

YOUTH IN THE TEAM — The Oregon State women’s basketball team is one of the nation’s youngest teams, boasting an average age of 19.4 in the 11 player roster. Senior El Sara Greer and redshirt junior Courtney Wetzel are the oldest at 21, while freshman Classye James is 18.

NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED — The Oregon State women’s basketball team is ranked 49th in the nation for its scoring defense, as of Jan. 31. The Beavers also rank 11th for personal fouls per game (13.6), 21st for blocked shots per game (5.2) and 50th for three-point field goals per game (6.8). Individually, senior El Sara Greer ranks in the top 50 in one category — seventh for blocked shots per game (3.5).

LEADING THE PAC — The Beavers are third in scoring defense (56.3 ppg) and leading the conference in blocked shots (5.2 bpg). Senior El Sara Greer leads the blocked shots race (3.5 bpg) and field goal percentage (58.1), while freshman Alyssa Martin tops the minutes played list (38.5).

SWINGING OVER — Redshirt freshman Tami Brown joins the Beavers, making her debut on Friday, Dec. 3 against Pepperdine. Brown also competes for the Oregon State volleyball team at middle blocker. The 6-2 forward from Eugene, Ore. (Sheldon HS) was a McDonalds High School All-America candidate as a senior and a three-sport letterwinner as a freshman (volleyball and softball).

Additionally redshirt junior Courtney Wetzel joins the women’s basketball team after finishing her eligibility with the top 25 women’s soccer team. Wetzel started every game for the Beavers, being named to the NSCAA All-Pacific Region Second Team and earning All-Pac-10 Second Team accolades at the conclusion of the 2010 season.

OFFENSE SELLS TICKETS, DEFENSE WINS GAMES — The Oregon State women’s basketball team has one of the nation and conference’s best defenses so far this season, holding opponents to only 56.3 points per game. The Beavers are first in the conference in blocked shots per game (5.2 bpg) with senior El Sara Greer pacing the conference in the same category, averaging 3.5 per game. Overall on the season, the Beavers have forced 351 turnovers.

PINK ZONE — The Oregon State women’s basketball team is proud to announce its annual Pink Zone game. The Beavers will host UCLA on Saturday, Feb. 12 at 2:00 p.m. in legendary Gill Coliseum. Fans that purchase a pink hat will receive free admission to the game.

Also, in conjunction with the gymnastics team’s Pink Out, a Pink Out breakfast will be held on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 9:30 a.m. in the Reser Club. Cost is $20 per couple, $12 per adult and $8 per child. A silent auction will also be held with all of the proceeds going to the Corvallis Clinic’s Project H.E.R.

PAC-10 PACKS — With the Pac-10 season underway, it’s time to purchase your Pac-10 Pack. Pac-10 Packs are available with adult reserved seats available for $54 and general admission $36.

ODDS & ENDS — The Pac-10 Conference is celebrating its 25th year of women’s basketball. The conference expanded to include women’s competition in 1986-87 in 10 sports. The Pac-10 now sponsors both 11 men’s and women’s sports.

The 3-0 start to the season is the second time the team has opened that successfully in the last three seasons. Last season, the Beavers won in their season opener but then fell on the road.

Oregon State is now 2-0 on the season against Big West teams, defeating Long Beach State, 71-39, and Cal State Northridge, 49-32. And the Beavers are 2-0 against Big Sky teams, defeating Weber State, 62-55, and Eastern Washington, 64-60.

Freshman Alexis Bostick earned the Beavers’ only All-Tournament honors, leading the team to the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic title.