Talia von Oelhoffen stuns UCLA on buzzer-beater in Oregon State win

CORVALLIS, Ore. —  Talia von Oelhoffen made a three-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer to lift No. 11 Oregon State to a 79-77 victory over No. 9 UCLA on Friday night.

After an official’s review, the basket counted and the Beavers (21-3, 10-3 Pac-12) had their sixth straight win.

On the game’s last possession, Von Oelhoffen said UCLA focused its defense on Timea Gardiner, who had made three of four three-pointers.

“I had a feeling that they were going to help on that and that I was going to be open on the pop,” von Oelhoffen said. “I was just ready for it. I had just had that layup so I had a little bit of confidence and shot it well in that second half.”

Von Oelhoffen scored 18 of her 22 points in the second half, including all four three-pointers. She also made a driving layup with two seconds left to put the Beavers ahead 76-75.

Oregon State rallied from seven points down in the final three minutes. Von Oelhoffen finished with 22 points on six-for-12 shooting from the field and six for six at the foul line, and Gardiner had a career-high 21 points.

Lauren Betts scored a career-high 24 points on 11-for-15 shooting to lead UCLA (19-5, 8-5).

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The Bruins appeared to have won the game when Betts connected on a 15-foot jumper with 1.1 seconds left for a 77-76 lead. Betts received the ball just left of the free throw line and drilled an uncontested jumper.

But Oregon State had one final opportunity and converted. The near sellout crowd at Gill Coliseum erupted into a frenzy when von Oelhoffen hit the long jumper.

“We overcorrected and that’s how Talia got that open three with one second left,” UCLA coach Cori Close said. “We have to get that stop with one second left and we were not able to do it.”

Angela Dugalic made a three with 6.6 seconds remaining to give the Bruins a 75-74 advantage. The lead changed hands three more times in the final seconds.

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“Who would ever count this team out now,” Oregon State coach Scott Rueck said. “I just couldn’t be more proud of them. Tonight was just pure fun. That’s as good as it gets tonight.”

It was a tight game throughout and neither team led by more than seven points.

“Obviously, it’s a tough loss and the fact that we had a seven-point lead with three minutes left and couldn’t hold onto it,” said UCLA guard Kiki Rice, who had 11 points and five assists.

Oregon State played most of the game without leading scorer Raegan Beers. She was hit with an elbow to the nose by Rice, who was called for an intentional foul early in the second quarter. Beers left for the locker room after spending several minutes on the floor and did not return. She finished with two points and one rebound.

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Rueck did not have an update on Beers’ injury, but said the sophomore forward sent the team a postgame congratulatory text.

“Obviously in the first half we had a lot of adversity. Raegan goes down,” Gardiner said. “From that moment we all knew we had to step up, and for Raegan specifically.”

Without the inside presence of Beers, who came into the game averaging 18.2 points and 11.1 rebounds, Oregon State was forced to the perimeter to generate much of its offense. The Beavers finished 11 for 19 on three-pointers.

Big picture

UCLA: The Bruins, who have marquee wins this season over Connecticut, Ohio State USC, Colorado and Oregon State, have an excellent inside-outside combo with Betts and Charisma Osborne, who finished with 13 points.

Oregon State: The Beavers, who were a Final Four team in 2016, have five wins over ranked teams. They are a lock to be back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2020-21 season. Depth is among Oregon State’s major strengths.

Up next for UCLA: The Bruins will be at Oregon on Sunday.