Oregon Ducks Emerge Victorious in 74-66 Win After Tough Road Battle Against Oregon State
Oregon's leading scorer Nyara Sabally went through warmups like normal after missing the last game against Washington State but did not start, with Sedona Prince being inserted in her place. The rest of the Ducks' starters were the same as usual, with Te-Hina Paopao, Endyia Rogers, Maddie Sherr and Sydney Parrish filling out the rest of the starting five.
First quarter
Kennedy Brown got the scoring started with a free throw-line jumper and Greta Kampschroeder hit a three to get the Beavers off to a quick 5-0 start. Prince and Paopao each knocked down a jumper to kickstart a 14-0 run for the Ducks over the next five minutes. The Beavers couldn't find much of a rhythm early, turning the ball over four times.
Rogers was active on the defensive end and took it coast-to-coast for an and-one layup to give the Ducks their first lead of the night, and Sabally checked in for the first time around the 6:00 mark. Parrish was feeling it from deep early, knocking down two three pointers as part of Oregon's hot start.
Oregon State was getting good looks, but the shots weren't falling, converting just 2 of their last 11 shots to end the first quarter. Oregon wasn't much better off, as the Ducks were held scoreless for more than three and a half minutes, but still lead 16-10 at the end of one.
Second quarter
The Ducks continued to have a presence inside, but Sabally wasn't scoring as consistently as she typically does. Oregon State was getting a lot of open shots, as Ellie Mack and Kennedy Brown led most of the offensive attack.
Gill Coliseum was definitely rocking as Oregon looked a bit out of sync. But the Ducks got it together to mount an 8-0 run going into the half, punctuated by a corner three from Paopao that she banked in as the buzzer sounded.
Oregon led Oregon State 30-25 at the half.
Third quarter
Talia von Oelhoffen, one of Oregon State's top scorers on the season, scored her first points early in the third quarter on a nice three-pointer with a defender in her face. She finished the game with 12 points.
Beavers Head Coach Scott Rueck was issued a technical foul after the refs missed what he thought was a foul on Sabally, who was playing defense inside, and Paopao converted both free throws.
There was a time in the middle of the quarter when the clock didn't run for at least a minute, and after stopping the game to confer the officials didn't modify the clock at all.
Paopao wasn't knocked off her game though, hitting a three, which was the latest bucket in a 12-2 Oregon run. But the Beavers started to heat up towards the end of the third quarter, riding a 10-0 run of their own to close out the third quarter, taking the lead 52-51 despite having 10 more turnovers than the Ducks.
Fourth Quarter
The battle in the paint was one to watch all evening, with both teams earning more than 20 points inside. It felt like substitutions were frequent throughout the night as Graves aimed to keep fresh bodies on the floor.
Te-Hina Paopao was working well in tandem with Prince to create her own shot and kept Oregon's lead hovering around 10, with the Ducks making seven straight shots to fight their way out of a cold spell.
Prince picked up her fifth foul with just over two minutes to play and Oregon State surged back within six, 69-63. The offense slowed for Oregon in the final stretch but they used their cushion to carry them to victory despite late three-pointers from the Beavs.
Oregon went on to win 74-66 and will host Oregon State in Eugene on Super Bowl Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
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