CORVALLIS — Mikayla Pivec flew in from the right wing to tip the ball in at the first-quarter buzzer in Oregon State’s bounce-back win against UCLA.
It was the flashy display of athleticism that has peppered Pivec’s freshman season in Corvallis. But it was also a sign of things to come for the No. 11 Beavers’ complementary guards, as Pivec finished with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Katie McWilliams tallied nine points on 3 of 4 shooting from three-point distance against the Bruins.
As OSU (23-3, 12-2 Pac-12 continues its push for a third consecutive Pac-12 title — it enters Friday’s matchup at Colorado tied with No. 9 Washington and a half-game back of No. 10 Stanford for the top spot in the conference — offensive consistency from Pivec and McWilliams will be key.
“It’s mandatory that we have five scorers,” coach Scott Rueck said. ” … Everybody has to play with that level of aggressiveness, and that’s what I saw from both of them (against UCLA).”
After a strong start to Pac-12 play, Pivec went just 10 of 40 from the floor in eight games from Jan. 30-Feb. 5, including three scoreless outings and four where she played 16 minutes or less. Rueck pointed to some “uncharacteristic” turnovers from Pivec perhaps causing tentativeness in other areas. Pivec added she’s needed to refine how to create her own shot and assertively spot up behind the three-point line during her first run through a difficult Pac-12 slate.
“Whether it’s her or Katie or Taylor (Kalmer) or Kat (Tudor), doesn’t matter,” Rueck said. “Whoever it is, if you’re open, that ball’s going up. That’s who we are and what (Pivec’s) role is. So I think it was just working through it.”
Added Pivec: “I’ve put in the hours, but (I’ve worked on) just having confidence shooting when people are in my face.”
.@pivec10 puts an exclamation point on the first quarter! [?] [?] [?] #GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/KzpjHRy3mm
— Oregon State WBB (@BeaverWBB) February 12, 2017
McWilliams, meanwhile, described her sophomore season as another “learning experience,” where her long 6-foot-2 frame and skill set has allowed her to play everywhere from point guard to power forward. Rueck said he’s most pleased with how McWilliams has improved defensively, while also noting her offensive game primarily made up of kick-out three-pointers and pull-up jumpers can sometimes be “hard to get to in our conference.”
But UCLA consistently double-teaming in the post left McWilliams open behind the arc in the corner. Pivec, meanwhile, found her groove when point guard Sydney Wiese hit her for a couple transition buckets, before draining a long jumper late to all but seal the win against the Bruins. And, of course, that athletic tip in at the buzzer ignited the crowd and her teammates.
As the Beavers aim to cap off another Pac-12 regular-season title and push toward March, similar performances from Pivec and McWilliams will not be regarded as an extra boost.
They’ll be expected.
“It feels good to just know that my shot is there and it definitely raises my confidence,” McWilliams said. “I know that when I’m open, I’m gonna shoot.”
— Gina Mizell | @ginamizell
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