CORVALLIS — Scott Rueck meticulously went over some important details in Oregon State’s final practice Wednesday morning.

Oregon State’s eighth-year women’s basketball coach had plenty of pertinent information to pass along to his team as it prepares to take part in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season.

Once the practice ended, just after noon, Rueck and the players met with the media, then loaded the bus before a couple of hundred fans and well-wishers as their journey to Lexington, Kentucky, was about to begin.

Oregon State, the No. 6 seed, will face second-seeded and perennial power Baylor on Friday in Lexington.

No. 1 seed Louisville and No. 4 Stanford will play after, and the winners advance to the Elite Eight on Sunday. That winner heads to the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio.

The Beavers and Lady Bears have a short history, but a memorable one for Oregon State.

The Beavers hold a 3-0 edge in the series, but it is the 2016 game in the Elite Eight that stands out above almost all other games with Rueck leading the program.

Oregon State’s 60-57 victory at American Airlines Center in Dallas was the culmination of four years of belief for a senior class that bought into a vision and saw its dreams come true.

“It was the realization that it is possible at Oregon State,” Rueck said Wednesday afternoon. “It all came to fruition that day. So it was just pure joy for me.”

It was quite an accomplishment for the senior class, led by four-year starters Jamie Weisner and Deven Hunter, and Ruth Hamblin, who started her final three seasons.

Sam Siegner was also part of the class and may not have gotten as much attention but was integral in the team’s success with her versatility.

While they did not do it on their own, the members of that senior class are credited the most with turning a program in disarray into a national contender.

That is why Rueck had such joy when the final horn sounded.

“Just watching a group of individuals that took a chance on us, see it through and play so fearlessly and tough and so courageous,” he said. “It’s what it’s all about. It’s why we do this.

“We hit a level that day that 98 percent of people didn’t think was possible for this program. That group came in and said we’re going to find a way and it came true that day. It was the best.”

The Beavers had four players who scored in double figures that day, led by Sydney Wiese’s 18. Weisner, who was named the regional’s most outstanding player, chipped in with 16 and Hamblin and Gabby Hanson both had 10.

Oregon State built a 34-25 lead at the half and held a 48-47 edge going to the fourth quarter. Hamblin, Hunter and Weisner all finished with four fouls.

The game was tied at 57 with 2 minutes, 19 seconds left. But Wiese hit three free throws and Baylor’s Niya Johnson missed a game-tying 3-point try at the buzzer to secure the Beavers’ biggest win.

Junior guard Katie McWilliams was a freshman on the team and played a few seconds.

“I just remember a lot of excitement,” she recalled Wednesday. “It was our first time being there so just seeing everyone’s faces after that game … everyone rushed the court. It was just very exciting and I’m hoping for another game like that.”

Sophomore Mikayla Pivec, who had committed to the program during her senior season of high school, watched some of her future teammates on TV with her family. It was almost as exhilarating for her.

“When that last shot missed, we started jumping up and down,” she said. “Just super exciting.”

The teams have almost completely turned over their rosters since that 2016 meeting. Only Baylor star Kalani Brown and Oregon State senior leader Marie Gulich played in that game.

Brown, then a freshman, had 12 points in 19 minutes, while Gulich finished with four points in 20 minutes.

The ultimate dream of winning a title — the Beavers went on to fall to eventual champion UConn in the national semifinals — ended a few days later, but the victory is one that will not soon be forgotten.