The Oregon women’s basketball team got off to a hot start, petered out for a bit, then hit its stride again to move to 3-0 on the season with an 84-66 win over Grand Canyon Nov. 11 at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks got out to a double-digit lead in the blink of an eye before turnovers and the absence of lead starting guard Elisa Mevius was felt in the second and third quarters. Still, a dominant opening and a solid close in the fourth quarter was enough to dominate the Antelopes (0-3).
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Sophomore guard Katie Fiso had 20 points and 10 assists, her second double-double of the season, while Mia Jacobs poured in 26 points, finishing 12 for 13 from the free throw line. Sarah Rambus and Astera Tuhina scored 11 points a piece to round out double figure scorers.
“A win is a win,” coach Kelly Graves said. “It wasn’t our finest effort in terms of effort, I thought at times we let up, but what a great start … we just kind of lost some intensity.”
Here are three takeaways from the Ducks’ win.
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Ducks get off to blistering start, led by Katie Fiso
The sophomore point guard got off to a blistering start and paced an unstoppable Oregon attack in the first quarter. Fiso had four assists in the first two minutes and finished the quarter with seven points and five dimes while the Ducks shot 11 for 14 from the field and led the Antelopes 28-9.
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“I thought Katie played amazingly early,” Graves said. “Great energy, flying around, and that’s kind of how we want to play.”
The Ducks also forced seven turnovers while holding the Antelopes to 28.6% shooting from the field, just 4 for 14.
Fiso finished with 20 points and a team-high 10 assists, her second game this season with double-digit assist numbers as she continues to dominate games in transition while serving as the focal point of Oregon’s offensive attack.
Oregon guard Katie Fiso, right, blocks a shot by Grand Canyon guard Casey Valenti-Paea as the Oregon Ducks host the Grand Canyon Antelopes Nov. 11 at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene.
Oregon women’s basketball gets sloppy in second frame
While Fiso’s relentless attack in the opening moments of the game led to open looks and one of the better shooting displays in a single quarter in recent program memory, her looseness with the ball led to some sloppy possessions in the second quarter.
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The Ducks were outscored 15-14 in second frame and shot just 46.2% from the field while shooting over 50% in every other quarter. Fiso, who had just one turnover in the opening frame, finished the game with seven.
“That’s on her 100%,” Graves said. “Oftentimes we didn’t have correct spacing so she was trying to make passes in small windows. I thought she got a little too deep tonight and she’s working on that.”
Graves said that Fiso has thrived in transition this season and that she attacks the basket relentlessly for buckets, but that she’s still working on finding open teammates when she is covered closer to the basket. Graves emphasized that he doesn’t think turnovers will be a consistent problem for Fiso, who has kept those numbers down to this point in the season.
Elisa Mevius’ presence sorely missed on both ends of the floor
The senior lead guard was lost to the season after an ACL and MCL injury in her left knee in the waning moments of the Ducks’ win against Montana Nov. 8, and her absence was felt days later against Grand Canyon.
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Though the Ducks got off to a hot start, the lack of a third point guard to lead the second unit stifled momentum that UO had a hard time regaining. Though Tuhina was a steady option as a reserve second ballhandler, scoring 11 points, the Ducks are lacking the creativity and plays that Mevius can create.
“I’m really confident somebody’s going to step up into that role and right now it may not be one person,” Graves said. “Everybody’s got to give a little bit more.”
As a result, junior guard Ari Long stepped into the starting lineup and played 20 minutes, scoring seven points to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Graves said that Long had “earned” that opportunity and that she’s been their most consistent reserve guard so far this season before Mevius’ injury.
What’s next for Oregon women’s basketball?
The Ducks (3-0) will play their fourth-straight home game to open the year against the Army Black Knights (2-0) on Nov. 16.
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Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football and women’s basketball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on Bluesky and X.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon women adjusting without Elisa Mevius after win vs. Grand Canyon
