No. 10 Oregon State pulls away to beat Utah 77-65

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Mikayla Pivec had 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to lead No. 10 Oregon State to a 77-65 victory over Utah on Saturday.

Her best shot of the day didn’t even count as the senior swished a fullcourt shot after the first quarter buzzer sounded.

Kat Tudor added 16 points and Aleah Goodman chipped in 11 for the Beavers (18-4, 6-4 Pac-12. Oregon State beat the Utes for the 12th straight time going back to 2013.

Lola Pendande and Brynna Maxwell scored 17 points apiece while Kiana Moore added 16 to lead Utah (10-11, 3-7). The Utes shot just 32% from the field

Oregon State opened the second half on a 10-2 run and carved out a 42-34 lead on a layup from Destiny Slocum that finished off the run. Utah closed the gap to 43-41 on back-to-back baskets from Moore and Pendade.

The Beavers slammed the door on a comeback with five straight baskets from five different players that sparked a 19-2 run. Tudor buried a 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter to finish off the run and give Oregon State a 62-43 lead.

Moore gave the Utes a jolt on offense in the first quarter. She scored 11 points in the quarter and helped Utah shake off some early shooting struggles.

Moore drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to help the Utes stake out a 14-9 lead in the first quarter. Then she scored two more back-to-back baskets to help Utah extend its lead to 24-16 going into the second quarter.

The Utes went cold on offense in the second quarter, missing nine straight shots over a 5-minute stretch. Utah shot just 3-of-17 (17.6%) from the field during the second quarter. It opened the door for the Beavers to erase Utah’s lead.

Taylor Jones scored back-to-back layups to spark a 12-4 run for Oregon State. Jasmine Simmons capped the run with another layup to put the Beavers ahead 32-30.

Oregon State outscored the Utes 20-2 in the paint before halftime and finished with a 34-6 advantage. The Beavers outrebounded Utah 47-28.

BIG PICTURE

Oregon State: The Beavers capped off a successful road trip by dominating around the basket. They controlled the glass and generated plenty of high percentage shots. It helped Oregon State counteract 17 turnovers.

Utah: The Utes hung tough with a Top-10 opponent for a half, but saw their upset hopes dashed behind a prolonged shooting drought. Utah made just seven total baskets over the second and third quarters after going 8-of-18 from the field in the first quarter.

UP NEXT

Oregon State hosts Arizona State on Friday.

Utah visits Washington on Friday.