Ducks Fall to No. 2 Stanford 80-68 Despite Late Rally

The Oregon Ducks took a shot at the reigning national champions and No. 2-ranked Stanford Cardinal, but ultimately fell by a final score of 80-68. It was Oregon’s first Pac-12 Conference game and second top-two matchup of the season.

The Ducks welcomed back guard Te-Hina Paopao and forward Nyara Sabally to the starting lineup. Sedona Prince was inactive for the first time all year as she tested positive for COVID-19 Friday morning, according to Kelly Graves.

The Cardinal started swiftly, with twins Lexie and Lacie Hull both connecting on three-point shots. Sabally got the Ducks back in it, chipping in six quick points. Endyia Rogers added a clean step-back three-pointer, and the Ducks took an early lead on a 7-0 run. But Oregon’s luck would run out as quick as it came. After the Cardinal had a two-minute scoring drought in the middle of the first quarter, Oregon matched them for the next two-and-a-half minutes, going 0-5 from the field in that time. The game slowed down as the first period ran on. Oregon, despite making just one of its last nine field goal attempts, used strong defense and eight points from Sabally to keep close to the Cardinal, ending the first quarter down 19-15.

Oregon’s play in the second quarter was far too focused on the individuals. Sabally and Rogers combined for 17 of the Ducks’ 22 points, and the Ducks failed to record a single assist halfway through the second. Paopao particularly struggled early on, missing her first seven shots from the field. The lack of offensive creativity started to weigh down on the Ducks’ defense. Stanford used another Oregon scoring drought to go on a 10-0 run, capped off by Lexie Hull’s third three-pointer of the half. Rogers gave a spirited effort to close out the half for the Ducks including a three-point buzzer beater, but the Ducks couldn’t slow down the defending champs, and the Cardinal led 42-31 after 20 minutes of play.

After trading buckets early in the third quarter, Stanford got back into its groove and showed what a top-two team looks like. In the span of two minutes, Stanford went on a 9-0 run and made three straight field goals while Oregon turned the ball over four times and was forced to call a timeout. Paopao came out of this break showing new life, getting a steal and five quick points. But Stanford’s 10-15 field goal shooting in the third meant the lead wasn’t going anywhere. The Cardinal led 66-50 with one quarter left.

Despite the deficit, Oregon kept on fighting. After trailing by as many as 18 in the beginning of the fourth, Rogers scored a few buckets, and Maddie Scherr knocked down a timely three to bring the Cardinal lead to single digits. The Ducks’ defense stepped up too, forcing four turnovers during their 12-2 scoring run. After Stanford was forced to call timeout, Lexie Hull notched her 30th point of the night on a three ball to extend the lead back to 11. The two teams would trade buckets for the last few minutes of play, but the lead was too big for the Ducks to conquer.

Rogers enjoyed her best game as a Duck in just her third regular season outing of the year, scoring a season-high 22 points on 8-15 from the field, including 3-3 from downtown. Sabally added 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Paopao dropped 14 points on just 4-18 shooting in her return. For the Cardinal, Lexie Hull torched the Ducks for career highs in scoring 33 and three-point field goals made (7).

The Ducks (7-5) return to action on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. against California (9-3) in Berkeley.

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