Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano

Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano

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Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano
Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano
Canzano: 'Ride-or-Die' looked like a blast

Canzano: 'Ride-or-Die' looked like a blast

Oregon State women's basketball wins a WCC thriller.

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John Canzano
Mar 09, 2025
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Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano
Bald Faced Truth by John Canzano
Canzano: 'Ride-or-Die' looked like a blast
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Oregon State celebrates a game-winning basket by Kelsey Rees. (Photo: Omer Khan)

LAS VEGAS — Scott Rueck went with his “ride-or-die” lineup with the season on the line in the closing minutes on Sunday.

“It just felt right,” he said.

The Oregon State women’s basketball coach stuck with a lineup that included four players who stuck with him after last season. It paid off with a buzzer-beating 61-59 victory over the University of San Francisco that launched the Beavers into the WCC Tournament semifinal.

I don’t know how life is going for Timea Gardiner, Talia von Oelhoffen, Raegan Beers, and Donovyn Hunter. The box scores look like a mixed bag. But that quartet of gifted ex-Beavers crossed my mind as Rueck’s team danced about the floor in Las Vegas, celebrating the game-winning, buzzer-beating basket from Kelsey Rees.

I wished they were here to see it.

Better yet — I wish they were living it themselves.

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