Oregon WBB recap: Ducks survive defensive battle with the Huskies
It’s not often the Oregon Ducks women’s basketball team turns in a subpar performance at home, but they still managed to pull out the victory.
Oregon and Washington both played its heart out on the defensive end of the floor and the Ducks were able to hit just a few more shots and came out with a 65-58 win over the rival Huskies.
With the win, the Ducks move to 13-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Washington drops to 9-6 overall and to just 1-4 in Pac-12 action.
The Huskies like to play the halfcourt game and the Ducks played into their hands for most of the game. Turnovers and poor shooting kept hampering the Ducks offensive game, but Taya Hanson’s three triples in the second half kept Oregon ahead in crucial parts of the game to stifle Husky runs.
Now the Ducks will have to fix some things and hit some shots they usually make on Sunday as they take on a good Cougar team.
Final Score: Oregon 65, Washington 58
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Keys to the game
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Neither team could “throw the ball in the ocean,” as Oregon coach Kelly Graves told the television crew heading into the halftime break and he wasn’t wrong. The Huskies shot 30 percent and the Ducks were 37 percent from the field.
The shooting woes could be attributed to tough defense, but the offensive execution was severely lacking. Oregon passed up several open shots in favor of contested ones. The Ducks also put up five airballs, which was very uncharacteristic for them.
Oregon took a 29-21 halftime lead and a large part of that was because the Ducks dominated the Dawgs on the glass to the tune of 23-14.
Washington began the third quarter on a 10-2 run to tie the game at 31-31. Both teams traded baskets, but Taya Hanson hit a couple of three-pointers toward the end of the quarter and the Ducks held a 45-39 lead with one quarter to go.
Oregon was able to maintain its lead throughout the fourth quarter, but the Huskies never went away. Hanson’s three-pointer with just over a minute left doubled the lead and broke Washington’s back.
It's on the stat sheet
Te-Hina Paopao: 16 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds
Taya Hanson: 15 points, 4-4 3-pt FG
Grace VanSlooten: 13 points, 7 rebounds
Oregon: 23-56 FG (41 percent), 12-19 FT
Washington: 25-61 FG (41 percent), 2-15 3-pt FG
The Ducks outrebounded Washington 40-31 and held the lead for over 33 minutes of playing time.
What's next?
AP Photo/Ricardo B. Brazziell
Oregon looks to make it a weekend sweep over the Washington schools as the Ducks host WSU Sunday, Jan. 15 at noon. The Cougars are coming off a win over the Beavers in Corvallis.
The game is scheduled to be televised on Pac-12 Oregon.
