Oregon Ducks' Deja Kelly Emotional After NCAA Tournament Loss To Duke Blue Devils

The Oregon Ducks saw their season end in heartbreaking fashion in a 59-53 loss to the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA Tournament. Oregon's leading scorer, Deja Kelly, gave all she could in the losing effort for the Ducks.

Oregon Ducks guard Deja Kelly (25) rushes up the court Thursday, March 6, 2025, during the Big Ten women's tournament at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Oregon Ducks, 78-62. / Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 10-seed Oregon Ducks saw their season end in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament, falling to the 2-seed, Duke, 59-53 on Sunday night.

It was one of the best seasons in recent memory for the Ducks as they capped off their season with a 20-12 record and finished 10-8 in their first year in the Big Ten conference. After the game, one of Oregon's best transfer portal pickups, Deja Kelly, reflected on how her lone season in Eugene played out.

Oregon’s Deja Kelly, right, shoots over Rutgers’ Mya Petticord during the second half at Matthew Knight Arena. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"This has been truly one of the best years of my career. I could not be more thankful for this group, for the staff, for the program...I just wanted to get back to having fun playing the game again, playing with joy, and the minute I stepped on campus, that's what it was. That's what it was all about. I've never felt more connected with a team in my whole career. This year has meant the world to me," Kelly said.

Kelly transferred over to Oregon after spending four season at North Carolina. In her only season with the Ducks, Kelly finished with 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game as she led the team in scoring and assists.

She helped the Ducks return to March Madness for the first time since the 2021-22 season and guided the team to their first postseason win since they made a run to the regional semifinals during the 2020-21 season.

Oregon coach Kelly Graves was extremely complimentary of his senior guard after the loss to the Blue Devils. The fifth-year guard finished with 20 points and two steals on 8-18 shooting from the field.

"The thing about Deja, she is as impressive a person as she is a basketball player...She came here, and she was as humble and she worked harder than anybody, she led. Just an impressive young person. I think she's going to help any WNBA team. I've got several players in that league, and I think she belongs. She's going to do well for somebody," Graves said.

Graves added that it was a team-wide effort for the Ducks to make it to second round of the tournament.

Well, I'm really grateful to the whole team. We gave it everything we had. I think we emptied the tank this year, and I think we're in a good spot. We've got a great returning group, and we're going to miss these seniors, but I think we've got the program in a really good place right now. I can't wait for the future. It's going to be fun," Graves said.

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Oregon guard Deja Kelly looks to pass as the Oregon Ducks host the Auburn Tigers Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Despite making multiple appearances on media platforms, Kelly plans to put a career in broadcasting on hold in hopes of using her productive senior season to earn a spot in the WNBA.

"My goal is to make a WNBA roster. I'll be, from here on out, preparing for the draft and getting ready for that while also pursuing other passions, but basketball is the same thing. And yeah, my lifetime dream, goal, is to play in the WNBA. That's where my focus will be for the next couple weeks, and kind of go from there," Kelly said.

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