CORVALLIS — There was one more formality for the Oregon State women’s basketball team on Tuesday — entertain a crowd of energetic elementary and middle school students that nearly filled Gill Coliseum, and take care of business against Cal State Bakersfield.

The No. 7 Beavers did both as they improved to 8-0 heading into Saturday’s showdown against No. 14 Tennessee with a 75-51 victory over the Roadrunners before a crowd of 7,824 in the annual Beavers Beyond the Classroom game. It was the third largest crowd ever in Gill for a women’s game.

Now, finally, the Beavers can focus on the Volunteers.

“I’m very excited about it and I think the whole team is, actually I know we are,” said senior Jamie Weisner, who led the Beavers on Tuesday with 14 point. “We haven’t talked about it much but that’s been in our minds since we went there last year. Just to get a second chance at them in front of our home crowd, I’m pretty sure Gill’s going to be rocking. Just excited to get back here and play in front of our fans and that competition.”

The Beavers dropped a 74-63 decision to the Lady Vols last season in a game that was close until the final few minutes. It was their first loss of the season.

On Tuesday against the Roadrunners (1-10), it took the Beavers a little while to get going, thanks in part to the raucous crowd that provided a different backdrop.

“It was loud and it had a great energy to it and it is weird to play in for a while and then you get comfortable and used to it,” Rueck said.

The Beavers, up just 15-10 after the first quarter, used a 16-4 run to open the second to go up 17 midway through the period.

A 17-4 spurt in the first 2:13 of the third turned a 15-point halftime edge into 28 and put the game out of reach.

“I thought that was one of the better stretches of the year for us so far,” Rueck said of the start of the third quarter. “Our defense, I felt, was phenomenal all day.”

Weisner led a balanced scoring attack with 14 points while Ruth Hamblin added 12 and Deven Hunter 11 for the Beavers.

Also Tuesday:

Oregon 95, UC Riverside 81: Oregon turned 30 offensive rebounds into 28 second-chance points to remain undefeated. Jillian Alleyne had 25 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Ducks (9-0), while Lexi Bando had 17 points and Maite Cazorla added 15.