Hamblin leads No. 9 Oregon State women past Washington State

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) - With No. 9 Oregon State trailing by double digits early in the second half, the message during a timeout was simple.

"We all looked at each other and were like, 'We're not losing this game.' Everyone rallied around that and came together," Beavers guard Jamie Weisner said.

Ruth Hamblin scored a career-high 31 points, tied a career best with 16 rebounds and added seven blocks and Oregon State overcame a 16-point deficit to beat Washington State 73-70 on Friday night.

Weisner added 25 points and seven rebounds for the Beavers (15-1, 5-0 Pac-12).

"We really had to rally and I think we did a good job remaining calm," Hamlin said.

"We had to lock them up defensively, and our offense came from there," Weisner said.

Oregon State Coach Scott Rueck said Hamblin, who shot 12-16 from the field, did a great job getting deep position in the post.

"They chose to defend her one-on-one. Ruth made them pay for that," Rueck said.

Lia Galdeira scored 21 points and Tia Presley added 17 for the Cougars (10-6, 1-4).

"We battled really hard. We left it all out there on the floor and that's all I can ask for," Washington State coach June Daughterty said. "Missed shot here, free throw there, it could have been a different outcome."

Oregon State took 10-2 lead, but the Cougars bounced back with gritty defense, feasting on turnovers.

Galdeira's 3-pointer gave Washington State its first lead at 16-15 with 12:56 left in the half.

Washington State led by as many as 12, and went to the break ahead 39-30. Oregon State had 15 turnovers in the half, three more than it was averaging per contest entering the game.

"We really did some things defensively to disrupt their tempo," Daugherty said.

Galdeira's steal and fast-break layup put the Cougars up by 16 at 50-34 with 16:53 left. The Beavers responded with a 14-2 run. The Cougars committed their seventh team foul with 12:22 left. During the last 8 minutes, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle with neither team leading by more than three points.

With Washington State trailing 71-69 and 24 seconds remaining, Galdeira was fouled on a layup attempt. She sank one of two free throws, and Hamblin grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She made both free throws. Galdeira missed three 3-pointers on the Cougars' next two possessions.

TIP INS

Washington State: The Cougars' 10-5 start was their best since 1995-96. They have beaten two ranked teams this season, Notre Dame and Maryland.

Oregon State: The Beavers' No. 9 ranking is the highest in school history and the 5-1 start is their best ever. The Beavers only loss this season came on the road at No. 6 Tennessee.

HOME COURT

Oregon State has won 16 straight at Gill Coliseum. The Beavers' last home loss came Dec. 29, 2013, to Notre Dame, then ranked No. 2. "That home court was an incredible advantage to us tonight. We needed it. I thought it carried us," Rueck said.

FAST HANDS

Entering Friday, Galdeira was leading the Pac-12 and seventh in the nation in steals at 3.4 per game. She had three steals Friday.

UP NEXT

Washington State: Visits Oregon on Sunday.

Oregon State: Hosts Washington on Monday.