Appleton East basketball star Lily Hansford excited to play in Sweet 16 with Oregon State

It was everything Lily Hansford could have hoped for after committing to play for the Oregon State women’s basketball team in 2021.

Big moments. Big games. Big memories.

The former Appleton East and Ashwaubenon standout helped lead her team to the Sweet 16 on Sunday in a 61-51 win over Nebraska in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Her father, Todd, and mother, Edie, were in the stands watching. They were two of the 7,227 packed into the Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Oregon, a record attendance for a postseason game at the venue Oregon State calls home.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore guard had 6 points and 3 rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench, hitting two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter that helped the Beavers pull away and clinch their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2019.

Oregon State (26-7) will play Notre Dame (28-6) at 1:30 p.m. Friday at MVP Arena in Albany, New York. It will be televised on ESPN.

Hansford has experienced plenty during her basketball career, but nothing bigger than the opening two rounds of her first Big Dance.

She was a star senior for an Appleton East team that reached the WIAA Division 1 state title game in 2022.

Hansford played her freshman season at Ashwaubenon before transferring for her final three years at East, finishing her decorated career with 1,216 points.

It just doesn’t quite compare to what’s happening right now.

“Probably the best way to describe it would be just a dream,” said Hansford, whose team beat Eastern Washington by 22 points in the opening round of the NCAAs. “Having Beaver Nation all there, there was probably close to 8,000 people in our gym. It was just super cool to play in front of them and then get the dub with my teammates.

“I would say it probably tops anything. I mean, the first round was similar. Your season is on the line, so I guess each game is probably going to keep getting bigger and bigger. And even cooler.”

Hansford earned more than a dozen Division I offers during her prep career.

She could have stayed close to home and played for the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay or Marquette. She could have tested herself in the Big Ten at Illinois or in the Big 12 at Kansas State.

Hansford instead picked a school 30 hours and 2,090 miles away, and she hasn’t regretted it.

Lily Hansford has found role at Oregon State

She played as a true freshman last season, starting three games and appearing in 25 contests while averaging 2.6 points and 1.1 rebounds in 12.9 minutes.

There is a transition most prep players must make when they arrive in college, and it was an even bigger one for Hansford.

The Pac-12 arguably is the best women’s conference in the nation. She has faced talent far quicker, bigger and better than she did in high school.

Hansford didn’t have to exert that much energy or effort playing defense at Appleton East or Ashwaubenon. Most times, she could just use that 6-2 frame to swat away shot attempts like minor inconveniences.

It’s not quite as easy when playing Stanford, USC and UCLA. Or even in practice going up against some of the best players in the game, including 6-4 All-American and fellow sophomore Raegan Beers.

But Hansford adjusted, and she’s served an even bigger role this season.

She is averaging 4.8 points and 16.7 minutes and has provided a spark in most games.

Hansford leads the Pac-12 in 3-point shooting at 45.2% (42-for-93), a percentage that is among the best in the country.

She was struggling from beyond the arc recently before those two big 3s against Nebraska, having gone a combined 1-for-9 the previous four games and missing her first few attempts against the Cornhuskers before helping put them away in the final 10 minutes.

The 3-point shooting is the best of her high school or college career. She shot 35.2% last season and 36.6% her senior year at Appleton East after shooting a career-high 43.4% as a junior.

It’s been a weapon in the past, but never the way it has been in 2023-24.

“I’ve been getting good looks all season, my teammates have really set me up,” Hansford said. “You know, I just have to bury the shot is all.”

Notre Dame provides another big test for Hansford, Oregon State

Hansford and her teammates hope to reach the Elite 8 and a likely date with tournament favorite South Carolina, but Notre Dame certainly will present a challenge.

Notre Dame is a No. 2 seed and ranked No. 10 in the country, while Oregon State is a No. 3 seed and ranked No. 12.

The Irish is just another good opponent for a Beavers team that is battle-tested, considering five of the final 16 squads remaining in the tournament are from the Pac-12.

Oregon State went a combined 1-6 against No. 3 Stanford, No. 5 USC and No. 6 UCLA this season, but it also won five games against other ranked teams in the league.

The Beavers already have surpassed expectations, at least ones set by others. They were picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 in the preseason, only to finish fourth.

Why not one more upset?

“Notre Dame is a really good defensive team,” Hansford said. “Their point guard (Hannah Hidalgo), who is a freshman, leads the whole country in steals (with 157). They are really good on defense, they shoot the ball well and they dribble drive really well.

“Just executing on defense, executing on offense is going to be our key points.”

Win or lose, Hansford’s first two years at Oregon State is exactly what she anticipated while in high school.

Her parents have traveled to Oregon several times the last few seasons to watch games, so whatever home sickness might have occurred never happened.

Perhaps even more importantly, she picked the school in part because of a coaching staff led by Scott Rueck, and they all have lived up to her expectations.

It would be easy to have small doubts after arriving to a much bigger stage. The staff has prepared her so well that negativity didn't have a chance to creep in.

“I’ve had a great experience here, I love it here,” Hansford said. “I love the coaching staff. I’m super excited to be in the NCAA Tournament with everyone.”

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Appleton East basketball star Lily Hansford ready for Sweet 16