CORVALLIS, Ore. (Interstat) — Oregon State used a balanced offense and a decisive second-quarter run to beat Northwest Nazarene 77-53 in a women’s NCAA Division I game Wednesday at Gill Coliseum. The Beavers improved to 2-1 with the non-divisional victory, while Northwest Nazarene could not keep pace after a competitive start. The Beavers led for most of the game after an early tie and pulled away with a strong second quarter. Oregon State scored 77 points from 71 possessions, an offensive rating of 107.8, and added 20 offensive rebounds, 12 assists, 6 blocks and 18 turnovers. Attendance at Gill Coliseum was 2,994.

Kennedie Shuler led Oregon State with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 block in 32 minutes. The 5-foot-10 guard from Gresham, Ore., who previously played at Barlow High, repeatedly broke down the Northwest Nazarene defense and helped the Beavers control the tempo. Shuler had 7 assists in each of Oregon State’s first two games, including a 10-point, 5-rebound, 7-assist effort against California Baptist and a 6-point, 4-rebound, 7-assist game against Eastern Washington. Her ability to score and distribute was central to the Beavers’ offense throughout the game. She scored on layups and pullup jump shots and repeatedly found open teammates in transition and in the half court.

Evelini Smith added 12 points and 11 rebounds with 2 assists and 1 block in 23 minutes, giving Oregon State a strong presence inside. Maggie Warpus contributed 7 points and 11 rebounds with 1 block in 14 minutes, while Jenna Villa scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds with 2 assists in 25 minutes. Lara Alonso finished with 9 points, 10 rebounds and 1 assist in 22 minutes. Mariia Ignatchenko added 7 points, 5 rebounds and 1 block in 9 minutes. Keira Lindemans had 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 9 minutes. Taylor Young chipped in 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 22 minutes. Katelyn Field scored 8 points in 18 minutes, and Ashley Uusitalo added 3 points in 9 minutes. The Beavers’ depth helped them maintain pressure on the visiting team. Smith and Warpus each reached double-digit rebounds, while Alonso added 10 boards as Oregon State controlled the glass.

Northwest Nazarene opened the scoring when Kendall Clark made a layup with 9:54 remaining in the first quarter. Oregon State answered quickly as Shuler made consecutive layups, and the Beavers moved ahead. Kelly Garrity hit a 3-pointer for Northwest Nazarene to tie the game at 6, but Oregon State responded with a Shuler layup, a Mariia Ignatchenko layup, free throws from Ignatchenko and Villa, a Lara Alonso layup, a Shuler free throw and an Evelini Smith hook shot to take a 19-13 lead after the first quarter. Chloe Deharo hit a 3-pointer and Brooklynn Summers made a layup for Northwest Nazarene late in the first quarter, but Oregon State scored the final five points of the period. The Beavers then created separation early in the second quarter. Katelyn Field opened the period with a 3-pointer, Smith made a layup and Shuler added another layup to push Oregon State’s lead to 26-13. Northwest Nazarene trimmed the margin to 26-19 as Kendall Clark made a driving layup, Jasmine Schaeffer made a turnaround jump shot and Chloe Deharo made a driving layup, but Oregon State closed the half strongly. Smith, Villa and Taylor Young made layups, Alonso hit a 3-pointer, and Warpus made a layup and a free throw to help the Beavers take a 38-23 lead into halftime. Eden Sander made a layup for Northwest Nazarene just before the break.

Oregon State kept control in the third quarter. Villa made a driving layup, Alonso added a driving layup and Smith made a layup as the Beavers stretched their advantage. Shuler scored on consecutive layups, Uusitalo hit a 3-pointer, and Ignatchenko made free throw and hook shot to keep Northwest Nazarene from mounting a sustained comeback. Chloe Deharo made two free throws and a 3-point pullup jump shot for Northwest Nazarene in the third quarter, and Kendall Clark made two free throws late in the period. Villa added two free throws and a layup late in the quarter, and Oregon State led 58-34 after three quarters. Northwest Nazarene found more offense in the fourth quarter. Deharo made a pullup jump shot and Jasmine Schaeffer hit two 3-pointers, while Eden Sander and Brooklynn Summers made layups. Claire Fischer added a jump shot, but Oregon State answered with a Shuler layup, Warpus layups, a Taylor Young layup, free throws from Villa, a Katelyn Field driving layup and 3-pointer, and an Evelini Smith layup. The Beavers led 77-48 after Field’s final 3-pointer with 1:05 remaining. Kelly Garrity made a 3-pointer for Northwest Nazarene, and Beaux Bruegman added a stepback jump shot in the closing seconds to produce the final margin.

The most important stretch came in the second quarter, when Oregon State turned a 6-point lead into a comfortable advantage. The Beavers’ defense and rebounding limited second-chance opportunities for Northwest Nazarene, and their offense produced balanced scoring from Shuler, Smith, Villa and Alonso. Shuler, Smith and Villa each scored in double figures. Oregon State’s 20 offensive rebounds helped generate extra possessions, and the Beavers finished with 12 assists while blocking 6 shots. Oregon State also committed 18 turnovers but offset them with its rebounding advantage. Northwest Nazarene stayed competitive early behind Clark and Garrity but could not match Oregon State’s depth over four quarters. Oregon State opened the season with an 85-64 win over Eastern Washington and a 79-77 loss to California Baptist. The Beavers’ season record is now 2-1.

Oregon State next plays at Arizona before hosting UC Riverside and Fairfield. The Beavers also are scheduled to play Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt in Jacksonville, Fla., then face Southern, BYU and Oregon at home. Additional games include Idaho State and Ball State in Makawao, Hawaii. No point spread, betting line or over-under information was available for this game.