Though Army made it a fight in the second half, at one point cutting a 20-point deficit to just 10, the Oregon women’s basketball team outscored the Black Knights by 13 in the fourth quarter Sunday, Nov. 16 to take an 80-55 win at Matthew Knight Arena.
The Ducks (4-0) had five players score in double figures, led by Mia Jacobs’ 17 points and five rebounds while Katie Fiso recorded another double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Sarah Rambus (12 points), Sofia Bell (14) and Amina Muhammad (14) rounded out double-digit scorers for Oregon.
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Army was led by Kya Smith’s game-high 20 points.
Sabrina Ionescu also made another appearance at Matthew Knight Arena, disguised as “Jennifer,” for an Amazon TV show while delighting fans during a free-throw contest.
Here are three takeaways from the Ducks’ win.
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Ducks respond to first adversity with strong close vs. Black Knights
The Ducks led by as many as 20 points before a big run by the Black Knights brought it to just 10 points in the waning moments of the third quarter. Though UO had dominated to that point in the game, slopping play defensively brought the game to within striking distance for Army.
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After some deliberate offensive sets and some upped pressure defensively, Oregon closed the game with a 26-13 fourth quarter to win its fourth straight game by double digits to open the year.
“It really just started with getting stops,” Bell said. “Consecutive stops on defense and that ended up leading to some offense for us. Mia (Jacobs) had a couple of transition buckets which got us going. We just had to focus on the defensive end and then let the offense come to us.”
Oregon forced 24 Army turnovers, a season high for the previously unbeaten Black Knights, and scored 30 points off those takeaways. Eight of those turnovers came in the fourth, alone.
Oregon’s Sarah Rambus, left, shoots against Army’s Kya Smith. Rambus had 12 points as the Ducks improved to 4-0 with the win.
Sofia Bell finds her mark, drains four 3-pointers in win
Oregon’s junior wing has struggled at times with her shot from distance, but she didn’t in the second half Sunday. Bell went 3 for 4 in the second half on 3-point attempts and scored 11 of her 14 points in the final two frames, tying her career high in 3s made (four) and coming up one point short of her career high in points.
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After not scoring in double digits all last season, Bell has reached double figures in two of Oregon’s four games this season.
“She knows she’s got the green light,” Graves said. “It was good to see her getting to the basket a little bit, diversifying her game … She’s looking to do it. I’m really proud of her there. She can get on a heater from the 3-point line and when she does, it makes us so much better.”
Bell said that’s where she feels her game has grown the most: Driving through the defense and either looking to score or finding open teammates inside and out. She also produced two steals, three assists and four rebounds in the win.
“I got some open looks, which is nice,” Bell said. “Katie (Fiso) and Ari (Long) did a good job of driving in and then my defender helped in.”
Oregon’s Mia Jacobs, left, shoots against Army. Jacobs had a team-high 17 points in the 80-55 home win.
Sarah Rambus battles through early foul trouble, finds rhythm in second half
The junior forward has struggled at times this season with fouls, but she showed her resolve in the second half Sunday.
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Rambus picked up two fouls in the first half, sat for most of the second quarter, but responded with six points in 14 minutes of second-half action. The big piece? She committed just one foul in those 14 minutes of the second half. Her 23 minutes were a season high by eight minutes.
“She’s got to work on that, because its a normal deal, where you picks up a couple silly ones and she’s getting better,” Graves said.
Graves did acknowledge that Rambus is still adjusting to her new starting role and that he was impressed with her performance and ability to defend while avoiding fouling in the second half. She, Fiso, Long and the rest of Oregon’s young lineup are continuing to develop well, Graves said.
What’s next for Oregon women’s basketball?
The Ducks (4-0) hit the road for the first time this season with a road date Wednesday, Nov. 19 in Pullman against former Pac-12 rival Washington State. The Cougars (0-4) are competing in the West Coast Conference this season and have yet to win a game.
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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: Sofia Bell, Sarah Rambus spark strong 2nd half in Oregon win over Army
