The top teams in the West Coast Conference are jockeying for position in the standings as the regular season draws to a close, and the Oregon State women took care of business Thursday night, blowing out the San Diego Toreros 83-49 to move to 21-9 on the season, and 13-4 in conference play.

Oregon State’s Tiara Bolden Grabs WCC Honor After 44 Points Over Two Games

The Toreros have been a basement dweller in the conference for the last few seasons, so this result isn’t surprising, though it’s magnitude is a bit eye-raising. The Beavers wasted no time putting San Diego into a hole, opening the first quarter on an 8-0 run that Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler getting involved early. Oregon State held a 14 point, 26-12 lead after one.

The second quarter wasn’t as lopsided, but San Diego wasn’t able to make much headway into the Beaver lead. Six points from Olivia Owens kept San Diego within shooting distance, but defensive pressure from Kennedie Shuler and strong rebounding from Lizzy Williamson kept the Toreros under control. Oregon State ended the first half up by 13, 40-27.

Oregon State Dominates Cougars in 79-51 Blowout

Oregon State tightened their grip in the third. While Olivia Owens and Kylie Ray managed to give the Toreros some hope early in the quarter, Oregon State went on a run late in the period to get their lead to 21 at the highest. San Diego finally snapped the Beaver hot streak, but a three from Kennedie Shuler ended the quarter in a 61-43, 18 point Beaver lead.

The bottom seemed to fall out of San Diego in the fourth, with the Toreros only putting six points on the board. Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler kept the points flowing for the Beavers, while Lizzy Willilamson continued to dominate the boards. A layup with an and one from Elisa Mehyar were the last Beaver points of the game, giving Oregon State a 34 point, 83-49 win.

Oregon State Takes Down Portland 64-54 in Season Saving Game

It was a good night for several Beavers, with Kennedie Shuler once again leading the team in scoring. She finished the night with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. She can do just about everything on the court.

Tiara Bolden continued her hot streak with a 17 point night, along with four rebounds and four assists. Jenna Villa added 14 points, one rebound and one assist. Lizzy Williamson added another double double to her resume, with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Oregon State’s Winning Streak Ends With 55-51 Loss to LMU

There’s one last item on the agenda for Oregon State, a season-closing meeting with the Loyola Marymount Lions Saturday at Gill Coliseum. The Lions handed Oregon State their first WCC loss of the season back in January, so getting some revenge before the conference tournament would be a good statement from the team. Tip off is set for 1 PM PT.

Mayor Todd Gloria sought the public’s feedback Thursday in shaping San Diego’s 2026-27 fiscal year budget, as the city launched a digital survey to help determine which programs and services are prioritized and which are reduced.

The survey is available at datasd.typeform.com/2027budget.

Officials will use responses in crafting the new budget, which takes effect on July 1. The City Charter deadline to release a draft budget is April 15, “allowing ample time for resident feedback to be considered during budget discussions,” officials said.

Gloria said that the city has already “closed hundreds of millions of dollars of a longstanding structural deficit, but we are not done. The next budget will require even tougher choices, and I want to be clear with residents: We will not be able to do everything we might like to do.

“I’m asking San Diegans to take a few minutes to tell us what matters most to them, and what they’re willing to forgo, as we build next year’s budget,” he added.

The five-minute survey is open to residents living within San Diego city limits. Those without home computer access can fill out the survey at any city library.

According to Gloria’s office, the city’s projected deficit is $120 million for the next budget, which the city is required by law to keep balanced.

In addition to asking what residents’ top priorities are, the survey asks if the city “should generate more revenue to protect services.”

Offered in English and Spanish, the survey is available until the start of May.

Officials said residents can also sound off on the budget process by attending City Council budget meetings either in person or via Zoom.

Council members will discuss the budget during their March 10 meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at the City Administration Building downtown.

Public library locations can be found at sandiego.gov/public- library/locations.

This time, Reese Dixon-Waters watched his step.

And the senior forward’s game-high 20 points helped San Diego State get back in step in the Mountain West, leading the Aztecs to an 89-72 victory over Utah State at Viejas Arena.

“I was aggressive from the start,” Dixon-Waters said after SDSU ended a two-game losing streak and, more importantly, the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4 MW) moved into a first-place tie with the Aggies (23-5, 13-4) with three games remaining in the regular season.

“Probably our most complete game of the season,” said SDSU coach Brian Dutcher, whose team rebounded after last week’s losses to Grand Canyon and Colorado State. “We did what we had to do. We fought through a tough stretch of two really hard losses, and we got back on the winning track. … So our fate is in our hands.”

The Aztecs played with the “urgency” junior forward Miles Byrd said was necessary to finish out the regular season right. They avenged a 71-66 loss to the Aggies along the way.

When SDSU played at Utah State last month, the Aztecs could have excused their five-point loss on any number of things.

Altitude: Logan’s Dee Glen Smith Spectrum is 4,783 feet, which leaves opponents fatigued and fighting for air in a game’s waning minutes.

Injuries: The absence of SDSU sophomore forward Magoon Gwath (hip) and freshman guard Elzie Harrington (lower leg) left the Aztecs without two starters.

Bad luck: Dixon-Waters was closing in on a career-high in scoring when he stepped on a teammate’s foot with 13 minutes left. He made only one more basket thereafter (though had a game-high 19 points).

An old classic: The dog ate their game plan.

There were no excuses needed in Wednesday night’s victory at Viejas, where the Aztecs breathed in the sea-level air, welcomed Gwath and Harrington back to the starting lineup and watched Dixon-Waters provide the first-half spark.

The Long Beach native scored 15 points — including 3-for-6 on 3-pointers — as SDSU built a 46-33 halftime lead. He had 10 straight points during a 2 1/2-minute stretch when the Aztecs turned a two-point lead into 29-21 advantage. And they never looked back.

“The hungry team usually wins,” Utah State coach Jerrod Calhoun said. “The tougher team usually wins. I think you would agree. You watched that with your own eyes. They were just a tougher team tonight, more prepared. …

“We had no want-to on the defensive end. And you’re not coming into Viejas, beating these guys with your offense. We’ve never beaten them with our offense. It’s always been our defense.”

Gwath had seven points in the first half, including a buzzer-beating three-pointer. After the ball kissed off the glass and went in, the 7-footer smiled broadly. (Maybe because he didn’t call bank.)

The Aztecs picked up where they left off in the second half, this time with Byrd getting into the act. He was scoreless in the first half, but hit a 3-pointer in the first minute back on the floor. Moments later, he followed with a layup. That made it 51-33 on the way to a 24-point lead.

There was a concious effort about “not letting up,” SDSU sophomore forward Pharaoh Compton said. “Don’t let our foot off the gas because we know a lot of times this year we let our foot off the gas going into the second half.”