The Oregon Ducks rode a huge first half scoring tsunami in brushing aside the Oregon State Beavers last night in Eugene, 96-73.
Oregon did so without Ehis Etute, who suited up but did not play after banging up her ankle in the Sunday match against Auburn.
Advertisement
OSU initially had a 7-4 lead to start the game, but the first of nine 3-point shots by Katie Fiso tied the game at 7, and began an Oregon 10-0 run.
The Ducks followed that with a 12-0 run, during which the Beavers head coach was assessed a rare administrative technical foul, when Scott Rueck substituted in a player that had been omitted from the scorebook.
That was the first of two technicals that Rueck committed, with the second one coming just before halftime when Rueck got up off the bench and gestured to an official regarding a call he did not agree with.
The 31 points that Oregon scored in the first quarter was the most that they have scored in a single quarter so far this season. They took a 30 point lead into the half. That came about largely because the Beavers forgot to play defense at the same time that the Ducks could not miss shots.
Oregon was not able to maintain their defensive intensity in the beginning of the second half. This time, it was the Ducks’ turn to forget how to defend as the Beavers played with more intensity coming out of the break. “They picked up their aggressiveness at both ends of the floor,” said Oregon coach Kelly Graves, “and we didn’t go with them, unfortunately. But in the end it was a really good win.”
The Ducks did pick their game back up in the fourth quarter, maintaining a points distance that the Beavers were not going to bridge.
Oregon set program records for the most points ever scored against the Beavers, and for the largest margin of victory in Eugene.
Advertisement
OSU finished with 48% shooting, led by Jenna Villa with 27 points. The Beavers had a slight edge on rebounds, 25-23.
Oregon shot a blistering 67.9% for the game, including going 8-10 on the long ball. They were not quite as stellar on the line last night, shooting 12-20 for 60% – but it’s not like the game turned on shots from the stripe.
Katie Fiso had quite the game, with a double-double of 23 points and 14 assists. She shot 9-11, including 2-2 on the long ball, and 3-5 from the line. Mia Jacobs was also outstanding, scoring 21 points on 6-9 shooting, including 2-2 from distance, and was 7-11 from the line. Sarah Rambus shot 9-12 for 18 points, and Sofia Bell was 5-7 for 11 points.
Oregon limited turnovers, and feasted on the Beavers, with 31 points off of turnovers.
Head coach Kelly Graves had this to say after the game:
Sarah Rambus and Katie Fiso were obviously elated after the win:
Oregon has started 10-0, which they have not done to start the season since 2015. That win streak will likely end on Sunday, when the Ducks travel to Pauley Pavilion and face UCLA. The Bruins have returned nearly all of their starters from last season’s Final Four team, and Oregon is not going to beat them. What the Ducks need is to compete favorably against one of the nation’s best teams on their home court. We’ll see how that goes.
