By the end of November, Oregon State probably never expected to be in this current moment.
The Beavers suffered a brutal start to the 2024-2025 season, losing five of their seven games during the first month of the regular season.
While their NCAA Tournament hopes appeared insanely slim, this group became one of the hottest teams in the country over the final month and a half of the season, putting together a stretch in which they won 10 of their final 12 games. That stretch included a West Coast Conference Tournament title, an event in which the Beavers defeated the Portland Pilots, a team that went 29-4 and won the regular season conference title.
Their record may be deceiving, but this is a group that definitely shouldn't be overlooked as the NCAA Tournament gets underway.
Ahead of Saturday's first round matchup between North Carolina and Oregon State, let's get to know the Beavers:
Oregon State Beavers
Overall record: 19-15
Conference Record: 12-8
Home Record: 8-4
Away Record: 6-8
Neutral Site Record: 5-3
Meet the Team
Head Coach
Scott Rueck (15th season): Career Record (Including head coaching stint at George Fox)- 604-257
Previous Head Coaching Stops
George Fox (1996-2010)
What Rueck has accomplished at Oregon State:
Rueck has led the Beavers to eight NCAA Tournaments, including the 2024 Elite 8. OSU was poised to earn a top-4 seed prior to the cancelation of the 2019-20 Tournament due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Oregon State won three-straight Pac-12 titles from 2015-17, and has made five Sweet-16’s, three Elite Eight’s and a Final Four.
Key Players
A fifth-year senior, Rees has stepped up to be the leader of this year's team.
The Glenelg North, SA native has taken advantage of her increased role, putting together a career-year in her final collegiate season. Over 34 games played, the 6-foot-5 senior averaged 12.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
A true senior, Marotte has also taken on an increased role for this year's team. The Austin, Texas native averaged 11.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per-game, as she was rarely off the floor, averaging 34.8 minutes per game.
A change of scenery is sometimes good, as Catarina Ferreira is the perfect example of that.
After beginning her collegiate career at Baylor, the Sao Paulo, Brazil native transferred to Oregon State ahead of the 2024-2025 season. She instantly became an impact player for the Beavers, serving as a starter for the majority of her first season on campus.
Ferreira ranked third on the team in scoring and second in rebounding, as she's made an impact for the Beavers in a variety of ways. She's also very good at the free throw line, shooting just under 80% on the season.
Projected Starters
No. 0 Tiara Bolden
No. 1 Kennedie Shuler
No. 11 AJ Marotte
No. 30 Catarina Ferreira
No. 53 Kelsey Rees