WSU Women’s basketball extends their losing streak to four and have dropped eight of their last 10.

The Cougs headed down to Corvallis Saturday night to face the Oregon State Beavers. The Cougars dropped this game primarily due to first quarter production. The Beavers outscored WSU 21-10 in the first.

WSU was never able to get over the 11-point deficit after the first quarter, in the next three quarters WSU was outscored 26-19, 16-12 and 16-10. Part of why WSU’s offense was slow to start was due to Eleonora Villa’s lackluster performance. Villa scored just 2 points shooting 1-for-11 from the field.

Only three players scored double digits: Alex Covill who led the team with 15 points, Keandra Koorits with 13 off the bench and Mackenzie Chatfield tallying 12.

While the Beavers are 20-9 and have one of the best defenses in the WCC, WSU was able to create open looks. However, they shot 31% from the field and 19% from beyond the arc. When facing top teams you have to be able to knock down shots that are both open and contested, WSU did neither. The silver lining for the Cougs was that they executed some plays and had 12 assists.

Oregon State controlled the paint throughout the game and forced WSU into difficult shot selections late in possessions. The Beavers also capitalized on second chance opportunities and turnovers which helped them maintain momentum after the strong opening quarter. Their defensive pressure made it difficult for the Washington State Cougars to find any rhythm offensively.

WSU struggled to consistently score in chunks and never led at any point against the Beavers. Oregon State continued to extend the margin in the second half by converting efficiently inside and limiting transition opportunities for the Cougars.

The Cougars are now (5-24, 4-12 WCC) with two games left in the season against the Saint Mary’s Gaels and Seattle U. WSU is currently the 10 seed in the WCC standings, only Seattle U and the San Diego Toreros are lower in the standings.